Microsoft has begun rolling out the Windows Phone 8.1 update to existing Lumia devices, three months after making it official at its BUILD developers conference.

Windows Phone 8.1 brings a boatload of new and much-needed features, such as a notifications center with quick settings, the Cortana digital assistant (which is exclusive to the US for now), wallpaper support on the Start screen, gesture typing, updated version of Internet Explorer, support for installing apps on a microSD card, and enterprise features such as VPN.

Lumia devices will also gain Nokia?s Cyan update, which builds additional functionality on top of the core OS. Nokia Cyan includes a simplified Nokia Camera app, new photo editing tools, a Device Hub for keeping track of accessories, better colors and low-light performance on devices like the Lumia 1520, and improved audio quality in videos, though not all features will be available for every Lumia handset.

The update will be making its way to all Windows Phone 8 Lumia phones in the coming weeks, with carrier-locked phones expected to endure a longer wait than unlocked ones. Users can check for the update manually from the settings menu, and also check out if it available for a particular device and country on Nokia?s website.

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