With consumers around the globe still in the process of updating their Windows Phones to the latest major update to the platform, Microsoft has already lifted the lid on its successor.

Developers can now get their hands on Windows Phone 8 'Update 3', which – amongst other features – adds support for larger displays and, for the first time, lets users close down apps running in the background.

Bigger is better

"A bigger Start screen for more Live Tiles. A new, customisable Driving Mode. Better accessibility options," detailed Microsoft's Darren Laybourn.

"These are just some of the new features and innovations that we're getting ready to deliver to you in Windows Phone 8 Update 3, which will roll out to existing phones over the next several months.

"As manager of the engineering team responsible for delivering updates to your Windows Phone, today I wanted to tell you a bit more about what's included in our third official update of the year - plus describe a new preview program we're launching to help developers keep their apps running smoothly on our latest software."

Update 3 running on the rumoured Lumia 1520

Said preview program hands developers early access to the new features, providing their handsets are developer unlocked and, of course, they're a registered Windows Phone developer.

Devil in the display

Microsoft notes that there are no new APIs in the update – formally known as GDR3 - and developers need not alter their titles for them to run smoothly on the updated OS.

However, support for 1080p resolution has been added into the mix, along with an upping of the background audio memory cap from 20MB to 25MB.

"For the most part, you won't need to know that your app is running on a 1080p phone - the existing APIs on a 1080p phone are quirked to behave as they would on a 720p phone and your app will work the same as it does today without any changes," details Microsoft's Cliff Simpkins.

"Because of this, most devs won't need to do anything to target or test apps on a 1080p phone – the OS will take care of rendering for the resolution, the same as it does today."

Nokia is expected to unveil a 6-inch Lumia 1520 to coincide with the consumer launch of Update 3.

You can find out more about the update and its impact on Windows Phone 8 apps here.