With the release of Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft is taking a new approach with carriers, being able to bypass their systems and upgrade your phone directly. The company had tried to take a similar course when the first Windows Phone operating system was initially released but those plans never came to fruition.

On December 8th, Microsoft released an update for the Lumia 950 that was pushed to all users of the device including those on AT&T. It was assumed at that time that Microsoft finally found a way to work with the carriers and make the dream of updating a phone’s operating system without carrier approval a reality and now we have the proof to backup this claim.

On the AT&T support forums, the company confirms that updates are now being sent to the phone directly and are not being approved by the carrier. Additionally, expect updates to go out monthly to the device, which means that Microsoft can now update the Lumia 950 at will and is no longer being held back by the phone carrier.

This is good news for those who have purchased the device as it means that updates will come much faster and arrive on the device the day that they are released. But, all is not perfect with this new model for delivering updates as the carriers do retain some control.

Microsoft is not able to update the firmware of the device without carrier approval which means that the drivers for the radios etc, all need to be tested before they can be updated. Still, even with this limitation, it does mean that your phone can receive new features faster but Microsoft does not have total control of the device, yet.

Thanks for the tip Bart W