Microsoft Software Updater (earlier Nokia Software Updater and Ovi Suite Software Updater) is a

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...

and OS X (though the Mac version is only in Beta) based application launched in 2006, that enables customers to update and recover their mobile device firmware of a S40 or S60 or Lumia device from any

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

enabled access point. To avoid data loss users are prompted with on-screen advice on how to safely update their device. In 2015 Microsoft Mobile offers 4 distinct software update applications, the Microsoft Software Updater serves primarily to update their feature phones, while the Lumia Software Recovery Tool and Windows Phone Recovery Tools are applications used to update and recover Windows Phone devices, though the Lumia Software Recovery Tool also supports Symbian and other Nokia platforms, and the Nokia Care Suite enables users to install Microsoft Mobile firmware updates for Microsoft Lumia devices. Further Microsoft Mobile offers desktop synchronisation applications which also offer updates to device components such as the

Nokia Suite Nokia Suite (formerly Nokia Ovi Suite) is an application for Nokia users to connect their devices with Microsoft Windows. The service was originally developed by Nokia but was subsequently taken over by Microsoft Mobile. Overview Nokia Suite ca ...

and its predecessor the

Nokia PC Suite Nokia PC Suite is a discontinued software package used to establish an interface between Nokia mobile devices and computers that run the Microsoft Windows operating system. Its first release was in 1997, originally called Nokia Data Suite. I ...

for legacy Nokia telephones, though the Nokia Suite also supports content migration for Microsoft Lumia devices such as messages, contacts, and device software. All software suites except for the Windows Phone Recovery Tool were originally developed under Nokia while the Windows Phone Recovery Tool was created specifically for the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones.

History

The service was launched in beta in 2006, and the Nokia Software Updater's beta phase ended at 25 August 2011. Nokia Software Updater 3.0.495 was released to consumers in 2011. After acquisition of Nokia's devices and services divisions by Microsoft, the application was renamed to Microsoft Software Updater. the Microsoft Software Updater does not install any pre-release of Nokia device software, but will restore the latest updates. The service can be used to restore the firmware on "bricked" phones which previously could only be done at local Microsoft Care customer service centres. Microsoft Care's range of software update and recovery programs also include a software recovery tool for Lumia-branded Windows Phones that don't start up or respond which may restore the latest firmware. The Recovery tool requires the telephone to have 70-80% battery charge and works only with

Windows Phone 8 Windows Phone 8 is the second generation of the Windows Phone mobile operating system from Microsoft. It was released on October 29, 2012, and, like its predecessor, it features a flat user interface based on the Metro design language. It was s ...

or higher devices. In 2015 Microsoft used the software to update their

Series 30+ The Series 30, often shortened as S30, is a software platform and application user interface created by Nokia for its entry level mobile phones, lower than Series 40. S30 phones are not capable of running Java apps. In 2014, Microsoft acqui ...

based

Nokia 130 Nokia 130 and Nokia 130 Dual Sim are Nokia-branded entry-level feature phones from HMD Global. Originally introduced September 2014 by Microsoft Mobile, the 130 supports one Mini-SIM card and 130 Dual Sim supports two Mini-SIM cards. The cost ...

devices.

Lumia Software Recovery Tool

The ''Microsoft Care'' division of Microsoft Mobile had several other specialised versions of the Microsoft Software Updater. This included the Nokia Software Recovery Tool which can recover lost software and unbrick phones in a similar manner to the Microsoft Software Updater. Its primary aim is to restore lost data after failed update installation attempts. The 1.3.1 version requires Windows 7 or later and was a re-released version of the older Symbian recovery tool. As part of Microsoft's new wave of rebranding it was renamed the Lumia Software Recovery Tool. It was updated and renamed to Nokia Software Recovery Tool again in 2015. In 2016 Microsoft closed down all Nokia sites and download servers. This affected all Nokia firmware downloader softwares. In 2017 Microsoft has outsourced the old Nokia phone software service to a rather unknown company named B2X.

Windows Device Recovery Tool

In February 2015, to coincide with the launch with the technical preview of

Windows 10 Mobile Windows 10 Mobile is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Microsoft. First released in 2015, it is a successor to Windows Phone 8.1, but was marketed by Microsoft as being an edition of its PC operating system Windows 10. Wind ...

, Microsoft launched a similar application for

Windows Insider Windows Insider is an open software testing program by Microsoft that allows users globally who own a valid license of Windows 11, Windows 10, or Windows Server to register for pre-release builds of the operating system previously only accessible ...

s known as the Windows Phone Recovery Tool. This application will remove Windows 10 from the device and restore the most current

Windows Phone 8.1 Windows Phone 8.1 is the discontinued third generation of Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile operating system, succeeding Windows Phone 8. Rolled out at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco, California, on April 2, 2014, it was released ...

software and the device's latest available firmware (i.e. Lumia Cyan or Lumia Denim). Microsoft issued an update to the Windows Phone Recovery Tool in April 2015 to address difficulties for

Nokia Lumia 520 The Nokia Lumia 520 is an entry-level Windows Phone 8 smartphone announced by Nokia at the 2013 Mobile World Congress. In September 2013, the Lumia 520 became the best-selling Windows device in the world, selling more units than any other model ...

and other low-memory devices while installing the Windows 10 technical preview, because their limited (512 MB) memory caused these devices to become "

bricked A brick (or bricked device) is a mobile device, game console, router or other consumer electronic device that is no longer functional due to corrupted firmware, a hardware problem, or other damage. The term analogizes the device to a brick's ...

". The update resolved these issues by lowering the data blocks being fed to the device from 2MB to 128kBs at a time while recovering these defective models. On 13 May 2015 Microsoft added support for the

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devices in version 2.0.3 while earlier the Windows Phone Recovery Tool exclusively worked with Microsoft/Nokia Lumia devices. In September 2015 Microsoft updated the Windows Phone Recovery Tool which renamed it to the Windows Device Recovery Tool alongside several minor fixes such as improved support features, and some accessibility improvements. In November 2015 Microsoft added additional support for another non-Microsoft made Windows mobile device, the ''LG Lancet''. On 30 March 2016 Microsoft added support for the

Microsoft HoloLens Microsoft HoloLens is an augmented reality (AR)/ mixed reality (MR) headset developed and manufactured by Microsoft. HoloLens runs the Windows Mixed Reality platform under the Windows 10 operating system. Some of the positional tracking tech ...

and the Microsoft HoloLens Clicker devices which is a

Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on J ...

-based augmented reality headset and companion device based on

Windows Holographic Windows Mixed Reality is a platform introduced as part of the Windows 10 and 11 operating system, which provides augmented reality and virtual reality experiences with compatible head-mounted displays. Its flagship device, Microsoft HoloLens, w ...

Microsoft Care

Microsoft Care (formerly Nokia Care) centres are physical locations created to deliver personalised customer support services and fix broken Lumia and Nokia-branded devices. This centres employ highly skilled engineers to repair and fix Nokia and Microsoft devices, though initially Nokia Care centres were the only place where customers could upgrade their Symbian devices prior to the launch of the Nokia Software Updater. In rural African areas Microsoft Mobile operates Microsoft Care as a service to deliver customer support with vans by sending engineers, which can be reached via an SMS-warranty scheme. In June 2015, Microsoft announced it will rebrand its Nokia Care centres to Microsoft Care and then Lumia Care Point Locations. It was later reported that Microsoft would close the majority of their care facilities in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and other European countries in favour of having more large centralised facilities as opposed to smaller ones being a part of the larger restructuring within Microsoft's mobile devices strategy based on their plan of laying off former Nokia employees.

References

External links