Can I change my phone’s OS?

QI have a Nokia Lumia 735 (pictured) running Windows Phone 8.1. Now that Microsoft is withdrawing support for Windows Phone, is it possible to switch the operating system (OS) to Android, or should I just buy an Android phone? Alf Wicks

AA very good question. On a PC, you can install a variety of operating systems – so why not a phone? Well, back in the early 1980s, IBM decided to let anyone copy its PC specification, creating a whole industry of compatible systems. That never happened with smartphones. Apple launched the iphone in 2007 as a closed system, and Google and Microsoft followed suit.

As a result, a Windows Phone is always a Windows Phone, an iphone is always an iphone, and an Android phone is always an Android phone. You can install a customised version of Android to replace the default version, but the best example, Cyanogenmod, has been discontinued. As for your Lumia phone, it’s still a fine phone, and although its OS is no longer supported it’s eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile. To do so you’ll need the Microsoft Upgrade Advisor app ( www.snipca. com/25824).