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Nokia Lumia Amber update rolling out now, better photos ahoy

The Amber update gives your Lumia superpowers, bringing it in line with the flagship 1020 in terms of picture quality.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read
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If you've got a Nokia Lumia device, it's about to be supercharged thanks to the Amber software update. Nokia has confirmed it's being rolled out now.

The Amber update focuses on imaging quality, so will improve your snaps no end. Image processing, noise reduction, colour reproduction, exposure control, autofocus, and low-light performance will all come in for a boost, according to Nokia. The update should bring all Lumias in line with the imaging quality seen on the flagship Lumia 1020, though without the monster 41-megapixel sensor.

The download will also empower your Lumia with the Nokia Smart Camera app, first seen on the Lumia 925. (I always want to sing "What a way to make a living" after saying that phone's name.) This captures a sequence of snaps instead of just the one, letting you pick the best of the bunch without having to worry if you missed the moment. You can also combine all the pictures into one to make an action sequence, just like you can with Samsung's equivalent software on the Galaxy S4.

So what else? Amber gives your Lumia the Nokia Glance Screen, which displays a clock on the screen while the handset is inactive. It also shows an indicator when the battery is low or charging, and an icon if your phone is set to Silent. Glance Screen won't work on the Lumia 520 or 625 though.

Amber also lets you mute an incoming call by flipping the phone over, and unlock it by double tapping the screen. And it'll let you see what's taking up the most room, if you need to free up some space on your handset.

Lastly, Amber lets you update Nokia's Here Maps faster, as only those features that have been added anew will be downloaded, rather than the whole country again.

Have you seen the Amber update yet? What do you make of it? Let me know in the comments, or on our picture-perfect Facebook page.