After announcing the end of support for their mobile operating system, Microsoft have suggested to Windows 10 Mobile users that they transfer to other platforms, naming iOS.
A support page suggests that support for Windows 10 Mobile will conclude on December 10, 2019. On this date, security patches and similar updates will also be made obsolete. It’s possible that third-party services will remain to provide support for any affected devices, however, Microsoft will no longer provide any more updates.
It should be noted that the end of support only applies to devices running the Windows 10 Mobile version 1709. Users of the Lumia 640 and 640XL smartphones will see their support end as early as June 11.
Action post conclusion
Following the end of support for Windows 10 Mobile, any automatic or device back-ups created manually will continue until March 11, 2020. However, services such as restoring a device from a backup or photo uploads will continue for a further year after the end of each support date.
Microsoft has recommended that their mobile customers move to iOS or Android supported devices. The firm also said: “Microsoft’s mission statement to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, compels us to support our mobile apps on those platforms and devices.”
The conclusion of Microsoft’s mobile platform was suggested some time ago with the platform having lost market share to cheaper alternatives. The NYPD are one of many organisations that relied on the Windows Phone that have now transitioned to other mobile platforms. They rolled out a total of 36,000 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices in May 2018, concluding its use of Microsoft’s mobile hardware.
Joe Belifore, Windows experience head admitted defeated for Windows 10 Mobile in October. He recognised that it was hard to attract unique app developers owed to the low volume of users. Belifore the firm are not focused on building new features or introducing new hardware for the platform, indicating that it was going to abandoned this year.
The announcement echoes that of the end of support for Windows Phone Version 8.1, the version prior to Windows 10 Mobile.
