Microsoft · 2014 · classic settings
Windows Phone Settings: twelve lowercase entries under a big heading
Windows Phone 8 put Settings under a giant SETTINGS heading in Metro type, with lowercase entries and plus signs in their names: start + theme, cellular + SIM, ringtones + sounds. This page walks the twelve entries as they stood in Windows Phone 8.1, explains what 8.0 shared, and links every one to a screen you can open. It is the historical counterpart to the Windows entry in the simulator.
- Newest release here
- Windows Phone 8.1
- Versions you can open
- 2
- Top-level sections
- 12 (1 of them plain switches)
- Rows in the tree
- 81
How Windows Phone organises its Settings
Wi-Fi leads, then Bluetooth and Airplane mode. Cellular + SIM holds the data connection, the roaming choice between Do not roam and Roam, the highest connection speed from 4G to 2G and the SIM settings. Start + theme is where the phone's look was set: Dark or Light background and an accent colour, Purple, Cobalt, Teal, Lime, Magenta or Red, that coloured every tile and link. Lock screen chooses the background, the app that shows detailed status and the password.
Ringtones + sounds sets the ringer, vibration and the ringtone. Notifications + actions, the entry that arrived with 8.1's Action Center, picks the quick actions and the apps allowed to notify. Battery saver shows the level and the usage by screen, phone and apps. Storage sense manages the phone and SD card. Phone update checks for updates, and About closes the list with the device, OS version, firmware and the reset option.
What changes between versions
Two releases are here, Windows Phone 8.0 from 2012 and 8.1 from 2014. 8.1 added the Action Center that Notifications + actions configures, Cortana and the Storage sense name; the simulator shows the same twelve entries for both rungs, drawn in the Metro style, with About reporting the OS version you chose.
- Windows Phone 8.1 (newest)
- Windows Phone 8.0
Three settings worth knowing the path to
- Settings > Start + theme > Dark
Dark or Light background plus the accent colour. On an AMOLED Lumia the dark theme was also the battery setting, which is why almost everyone left it black.
- Settings > Lock screen > Show detailed status
Which one app may show its details on the lock screen, alongside five apps for quick status. It is the setting that made the Windows Phone lock screen distinctive.
- Settings > Cellular + SIM > Highest connection speed
4G, 3G or 2G, a cap that saved battery on weak networks. Most phones bury this under advanced network settings; Windows Phone kept it on the first page.
Questions people ask about Windows Phone settings
Why do Windows Phone settings have plus signs in their names?
Microsoft's Metro design paired related items in one entry and joined them with a plus: start + theme, cellular + SIM, ringtones + sounds. The lowercase names were part of the same typographic style.
Where was the accent colour set on Windows Phone?
Settings > start + theme, with the background choice above it. The accent coloured the Start tiles, links and controls throughout the phone.
Is this the real Windows Phone?
It is a simulation of the Settings app with the entries and wording of Windows Phone 8.0 and 8.1. The device, firmware and network shown are sample values and no apps run.