Microsoft has finally decided to close that portal which was used by people using older phones to get the Creators Update. Some of the Windows Phones which were launched running Windows Phone 8.1 were eligible for Windows 10 update. These devices were also eligible for the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update. But they were not eligible for the Creators update.
Phones like the Nokia Lumia 730/735, Lumia 830, Lumia 930, Lumia Icon, Lumia 435, Lumia 535 etc cannot be updated to the Creators Update officially. But luckily there was a backdoor which users could use. People who joined the Windows Insiders Program could easily get the Creators Update even if they were using the above mentioned older hardware. This was great for the fans who wanted to get the latest version of Windows 10 Mobile.
Up until now, Microsoft has supported these devices in the Insider Program. But it now turns out that Microsoft has stopped supporting these devices in the Insider Program. This means that Windows Phones currently running on the Anniversary Update cannot use the Insider Program as a key to get the Creators Update.
If the users of these smartphones have already used the Insider Program to update to the Creators Update then they don’t have to worry since those phones will still get the security patches. But if they haven’t yet updated then alas they won’t be able to do it again. Microsoft has announced that they have stopped supporting older devices running the Anniversary Update. They will still get the necessary security updates though.
“As part of our efforts to simplify the number of update paths we actively host within the Windows Insider Flight space, we will no longer allow older Windows 10 builds to directly update to newer preview builds.  By removing these other update paths, this helps us keep a simple and clean flighting architecture with less chance of errors during the update process,” Microsoft explains in a blog post.
If you have a device that is not eligible for Creators Update but you have managed to get the Creators Update using the Insider Program then you will get security updates up until summer of 2019. You can also perform a factory reset, it won’t switch you back to the Anniversary Update. But keep in mind that if you use the Windows Device Recovery Tool then you will be stuck at the Anniversary Update which is officially the software version supported by your device.
