On Friday, Microsoft updated its OneDrive application for Windows Phone to better support larger phones and facilitate uploads, solving problems that Windows Phone 8.1 OS users had complained about.
The OneDrive application is a minor update, shrinking the tile size of icons displayed on larger phablets like the Lumia 1520, and facilitating uploads of more than one file at a time. Files stored on OneDrive can now be opened by other apps (such as a photo editor), and files can be shared from other apps to OneDrive.
OneDrive already backs up photos (if a user allows it) from a user’s Camera Roll, and users can upload other files from Windows Phones or on other platforms, using the OneDrive app. On a test Lumia 1520, the app was marginally more useful as a result.
However, the comments section on Microsoft’s Windows Store page for the OneDrive app featured plenty of users who were unhappy with their experience using the new app under Windows Phone 8.1.
“It doesn’t do anything that it says that its going to do, doesn’t upload or download multiple files, this app is useless, I don’t know it got a good overall star rating,” “misty” wrote.
“I’ve 8.1 update. Now the problem is there is no option to upload pictures to OneDrive from photo hub and it takes forever to upload photo.I just can’t upload a single file. [Lumia] 625,” “wattz” added.
Both comments came before the update, a Microsoft representative noted. Since then, users have been “much more positive,” she said in an email.
In all fairness, Windows Phone 8.1 is still technically a developer preview. It will be officially released later this year, after carriers have had a chance to test it and add in their own proprietary apps. Developers—or just plain enthusiasts—can sign up and download the preview, then update it as Microsoft itself releases updates. And that means some compatibility issues.
And that’s probably the lesson to learn here: if you have upgraded to Windows Phone 8.1, you’re running a pre-release OS, with some bugs and issues that will be worked out over time. Yes, it’s tempting to yearn for the latest and greatest, but you’d perhaps be served by being a bit conservative until WP8.1 is released in final form. As they say, your mileage may vary.
Update 1:56 PM: This story was updated to add comments from Microsoft, and to correct and clarify that Microsoft’s update was designed to address complaints expressed by users.