Fix: Windows Phone update error 80072f8f

I was setting up a new Lumia phone (with Windows Phone 8.1) and neither phone update, nor the (Here) maps downloads were working. When trying Settings / Phone Update, it was showing error 80072f8f and was pointing to http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/how-to/wp8/basics/solutions-to-update-issues to read more info. However that error code wasn’t listed there. Wonder if there is any page listing all the possible error codes. I find it silly if they have error codes that aren’t documented anywhere officially.

I looked it up on Google (sorry Bing!) and found http://www.techanges.com/fix-windows-phone-error-80072f8f/, which was saying this was related to time/date discrepancy between the phone and the windows update server. Obviously the maps also get their updates via the same system, although the maps update was showing the misleading message that it couldn’t connect to the maps library at that moment.

Although I had set correct timezone, it had wrong date/time, it was set to autoupdate date/time, but forgot that it had no SIM card in it yet. Obviously it doesn’t get these updates from a time server, but from the mobile phone connection provider. Hope Windows 10 phone fixes that and gets the date/time from time server like the one from NIST or from Microsoft that Windows uses on the desktop.