Microsoft has confirmed that HTC phones will not be getting the Windows Phone 8.1 Update, for now.
The company said it has “paused” the rollout of the Update while it works on an “issue” with both the HTC 8X and HTC 8S. Reports had circulated earlier that the two HTC phones had not received the updates because of the lack of driver support.
“We have paused delivery of Windows Phone 8.1 Update to customers with the HTC 8X and HTC 8S who are using the Preview for Developers,” Microsoft said in an emailed statement. “Microsoft and HTC have identified an issue and are actively working to fix it, and will resume delivery of the update once a fix is in place.”
Microsoft’s Windows Phone chief Joe Belfiore also recently took to Twitter warning that a very small percentage of users may run into error 8018830f when updating. Belfiore says the issue can’t be fixed with a second attempt at updating and seems to be related to low system storage. Right now, the only fix for people confronted with this error is to sit tight and wait on Microsoft to address the issue.
At present, the Windows Phone 8.1 Update is relatively minor, with additional features that include folders, VPN capability for business users, and improvements to Internet Explorer that should make mobile browsing with IE more compatible with iOS and Android. Nevertheless, the Update is still just a preview, so there’s good reason to believe an update will eventually roll out.
For now, however, HTC owners will have to wait to enjoy the fruits of Microsoft’s labors.
Additional reporting by Ian Paul.