Microsoft Announces Windows Phone GDR3 Update With Lots Of Enhancements

Microsoft has announced the availability of the GDR3 update for all Windows Phone 8 handsets. As you may already know, the GDR3 or General Distribution Release 3, (also known unofficially as Lumia bittersweet shimmer for Nokia Lumia smartphones), is an update for WP8 that is analogous to a Service Pack for the desktop Windows OS. GDR2 has brought in several nifty updates. As you may be aware, GDR2 brought in a few new features including major improvements to the camera app and enabling of the dormant FM Radio in supporting handsets. GDR3 update brings in a few more sought-after improvements that were missed in GDR2 including support for more tiles on WP handsets with larger 1080p displays. There will be custom ringtones, better storage management, app switcher, better Bluetooth, and phone setup for Wi-Fi.

Nokia Lumia Amber GDR2 Update "extras+info"

Nokia has already started rolling out the Amber or GDR2 update for its Lumia handsets running Windows Phone 8 and there is a good possibility that most of you might have already received it and running it. However, there is a likelihood that you may still not be able to access a few of the upgraded settings and may not see the words "Lumia Amber" anywhere as you would expect.

Well, fret no more, because help is at hand. In case you have upgraded your Lumia to the latest update, chances are that it is indeed the Amber update. To be able to access all the new settings, you can simply grab the latest version of the "extras+info" from here. A small 13 MB update will be installed that will instantly reveal the hitherto hidden settings such as glance, storage check, and Call+SMS filter. You will also be able to confirm that you are indeed running the Amber update by looking into extras+info, where it will display "Lumia Amber" under Software release.

Nokia Lumia 920 GDR3 Screenshots Posted

Even as GDR2 is still in the process of being rolled out to Windows Phone 8 handsets, The Verge has posted quite a few screenshots of the GDR3 update on a Nokia Lumia 920. As you may already know, the GDR2 or General Distribution Release 2, also known as Amber, is an update for WP8 that is analogous to a Service Pack for the desktop Windows OS. GDR2 has brought in several nifty updates including major improvements to the camera app and enabling of the dormant FM Radio in supporting handsets.

GDR3 update brings in a few more sought-after improvements. The screenshots show that there is finally a screen rotation lock that will lock in the orientation of the screen, so you can even read web pages while lying in bed.

There is a Driving Mode that turns off all notifications except texts and phone calls when you enable it while you are driving. It is also possible to turn off calls and texts completely or set the mode to automatically reply with a preset text message. Of course, emergency calls and alerts will still be allowed to go through. The Driving Mode can also automatically be triggered when you connect a Bluetooth device to the phone.


The GDR3 update screenshots are taken from a Nokia Lumia 920 and the update itself bears the codename "Lumia Bittersweet shimmer". The screenshots only show a few of the updated features that can be expected with GDR3, since this is still a work in progress. The update is expected to appear later this year to all Windows Phone 8 handsets, while the number of updated features available to a handset may be limited by its hardware. Take a look at the screenshots from The Verge below: