App folders could be coming to future version of Windows Phone 8.1

By Andy Boxall Updated July 14, 2014

Documentation discovered on Microsoft’s support pages has revealed a future version of Windows Phone 8.1 may come with the ability to create app folders on the home screen, just like those featured in Android and iOS. The revealing page has since been removed, but not before we got a glimpse at how the feature may work. Unsurprisingly, it should involve dragging one icon over another, at which time a folder will automatically be created. Once multiple apps are stored inside the folder, users will be able to rename it.

The process should streamline Windows Phone nicely. While the OS and all its live tiles look great, it can be a pain to quickly find apps which you don’t use very often, particularly if you have a lot of them installed. Creating handy folders enhanced iOS, and it should do the same for Microsoft’s still emerging mobile software.

We’re still waiting for Microsoft to send out the Windows Phone 8.1 update, despite rumors it would appear on June 24, but the new documentation’s wording suggested the folders wouldn’t make it into the first version. This isn’t good news, because we could be waiting many months for a revised version of the OS to be released.

Don’t let that dampen your enthusiasm for Windows Phone 8.1, it still has several exciting features inside. These include Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual personal assistant, Action Center for notifications, a new keyboard called Word Flow, and a revised version of the application store. It’s set to work on all existing Windows Phone 8 devices, and if you decide to buy a Lumia 930, Lumia 630, or Lumia 635, then Windows Phone 8.1 will come pre-installed.

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Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

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