Microsoft has officially stopped support for Windows OS smartphones. End of support for Windows OS smartphones means the few smartphones still running the OS won’t receive any more security or feature updates, or any other form of support.
All of these handsets running on Windows Phone 8.1 or below are now officially unsupported. Windows Phone 8.1 launched three years ago as the third generation of Windows Phone since 2010. The Windows Phone 8.1 was succeeded by Windows 10 Mobile though only 20 percent of all Windows phones are running the latest Windows 10 Mobile OS.
Windows Phone 8.1 was a big update from Microsoft for its mobile operating system, which included the company’s Cortana digital assistant, new notification center, UI changes, and updates to the core mobile OS. It marked one of Microsoft’s biggest efforts with its Windows Phone work, but it wasn’t successful at competing with Android and iOS. 99.6 percent of all new smartphones run on Android or iOS.
While Microsoft still supports Windows 10 Mobile, it’s not clear what that support will include in the future. Microsoft pushed updates to Windows Phone 8 devices, but the software giant barely included any feature updates in the recent Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update.
Microsoft has shied away from officially killing off its phone OS efforts, but it’s been evident over the past year that the company is no longer focusing its efforts on Windows for phones. The company gutted its phone business last year, resulting in thousands of job cuts. During Microsoft’s recent Build and Inspire conferences, CEO Satya Nadella dropped the company’s mantra of “mobile-first, cloud-first” in favor of a focus on what he describes as the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge. This new area of focus means Microsoft is now working on multi-device scenarios and cloud-powered technologies that don’t always involve Windows. Microsoft’s new mobile strategy now appears to involve making iOS and Android devices better.
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