A couple of weeks ago, we learned that a technology hacker nicknamed Tmsix managed to get Windows 10 on ARM running on a Lumia 950 prototype. Considering that Windows 10 Mobile is currently in maintenance mode, there’s probably a good amount of Windows phone owners interested in turning their handsets into mobile PCs.
Well, if you’re curious enough to try installing Windows 10 on ARM on your Lumia, there is some good news for you. Twitter user Hikari Calyx, the person who initially revealed Tmsix’s hack said today that he will share the UEFI bootloader with the public on his Telegram channel (via WccfTech):
I haven't forgotten Windows Phone yet. Tmsix changed his mind and he released the UEFI he used for Windows 10 ARM64. Will reupload everything to Google Drive and hope you can investigate more. Check my Telegram Channel. @imbushuo @gus33000 @Heathcliff74XDA https://t.co/Hbyi27j0kk
— Hikari Calyx (@Hikari_Calyx) April 16, 2018
Of course, you should only try to go down that route if you know what you’re doing and have some technical expertise. Windows 10 on ARM isn’t designed for phones with tiny screens, and the OS is also optimized for devices powered Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor. Moreover, the OS also lacks Windows 10 Mobile’s phone stack, so installing it on a Windows phone means that you’ll have to give up on a lot of basic “phone” features.
Microsoft previously said that existing Windows 10 Mobile handsets won’t be updated to Windows 10 on ARM, and this is probably for good reason. “The experience is a desktop PC experience, it’s not a phone-like experience,” Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore said last year about Windows 10 on ARM.
Making full Windows 10 run on a Windows phone is quite fascinating, but this isn’t really something you would want to use every day, as the desktop OS hasn’t been designed for such form factors. However, we’ll always be curious to see what adventurous developer can find to give old Windows phones some new life.
