Windows Phone 8.1 Release Date: Leaks On New Mobile OS Spotted; Users Can Now Create Apps, Action Center Updated; Coming This July

Windows Phone 8.1 release date: The new mobile OS variant, Windows Phone 8.1, will now allow users to create folders containing several apps that can be placed on the start screen. The Action Center in the mobile OS web interface was also updated. These new features were discovered after recent leaks provided more information on the upcoming OS upgrade.

Speculations suggest that the official Windows Phone 8.1 release date will be this month, with some saying that it could be within the next two weeks.

The company leaked the approximate release date of the new OS upgrade. Microsoft India’s Twitter account, responding to a customer inquiry, indicated a time frame on when the 8.1 will be released.

“The Windows Phone 8.1 update will roll out to existing Windows Phone 8 users during the first two weeks of July,” the tweet indicated.

According to Tech Times, the new folder functionality brings Windows Phone in line with iOS and Android. Both OS have offered the feature for quite some time. Users can drag one app on top of another to create a new folder. The folder can be given a name and then moved around at will.

Details about this new feature were posted on a how-to page on Windows Phone. Tech Times reports though that the web page has since been taken down, though a cached version is still available.

“To create folders on your Start screen, you need to have Windows Phone 8.1 Update installed on your phone,” the now removed page says.

Microsoft has previously concentrated on the unique features of the Windows Phone operating system, the Redmond tech giant looks like its adding a number of features which is also found on iOS and Android devices to the new WP.

The new OS variant’s “action center” is also largely similar to the drop-down notification menu on Android devices. The “action center” provides messages from apps and screens to certain settings no matter what page or apps is open on the phone. Windows Phone 8.1 is also adding a voice assistant dubbed “Cortana” which would rival Siri.

Tech Times notes that the function of the app works like Google Now. This feature is tired with Bing. The voice assistant of “Cortana” is only one part of the app as it also provides contextual suggestion based on location, time and personal data. The company is looking to capitalize on the best features of both Siri and Google Now with the automated and customized notifications of the voice assistant.

Aside from “Cortana,” Microsoft is also said to be including 3D support for 3D gesture controls in the Windows Phone. The tech site said that two devices dubbed “Goldfinger” and “McLaren” will be able to use sensors to track movements in front of the screen, enabling users to scroll or change pages without touching the glass. Both handsets maybe launched before the end of this year.