With 8.1 update and Action Center, Windows Phone users will finally have a notifications hub

Nishtha KanalFeb 10, 2014 14:33:58 IST

More screenshots pertaining to Windows Phone 8.1 have made their way out on the Internet. These new screenies now show an “Action Center” which closely resembles notification hubs we’ve seem other operating systems like Android and iOS.

The screenshots first appeared on Winphollowers and Windows Phone Central. The leaked images reportedly came from a presentation of the OS that explains its features and one of the slides shows how notifications in the Action Center can all be cleared in one go.

Coming up

The Windows 8.1 Action Center will initially show you some quick access toggles but can be pulled down further to reveal a list of notifications. What’s more is that these notifications will be directly manageable by the apps on the phone directly.

The toggle bar will show you basic settings and shortcuts to options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode and a quick Driving mode. According to reports, these four options will be completely customisable. Pull down further to get more notifications from apps that will neatly be stacked under headings like Facebook and Messaging. Another screenshot shows how apps can intelligently manage notifications by silently adding, updating and delaying them in the Action Center.

The screenshots come a couple of months after reports emerged about the notification center being added to the Windows Phone 8.1 update. Microsoft is also said to be adding separate volume controls, allowing independent ringtone volume and media playback controls, Bing Smart search and VPN support amongst other new features in the major update. Microsoft is also said to be working on building Cortana, a personal assistant that is reminiscent of Siri.