Using Windows Phone in 2026 reminded me just how badly I miss it

Die-hard Windows Phone 8.1 fans have been hard at work recently. First, there was an update to the alternative app marketplace, 8Marketplace. Shortly after, a third-party app unofficially brought Telegram support to the platform. We’ve also seen updates to a few other apps recently, bringing Bluesky support and more.

The renewed interest certainly got my attention. While I never used the Windows Phone platform as my daily driver beyond a brief period around 2014, when I bought a secondhand Lumia 1020, I did really enjoy it. I even had a Windows 10 Mobile-powered Lumia 650 I used as a secondary device. While I liked the Lumia 650’s Windows 10 Mobile experience, I felt like Windows Phone 8.1 was a better platform overall, and so I was excited to see the OS getting new love in 2026.