The app will be pulled next week, the WSJ says

Jun 23, 2017 09:42 GMT  ·  By

It’s no longer a surprise that many developers abandon Microsoft’s Windows phones because of the dropping market share, and now the latest announcement in this regard comes the Wall Street Journal.

In an update posted on its Windows 10 app page in the Windows Store, the WSJ says that its app would be pulled on June 30, as it moves the focus to iOS and Android.

The more surprising thing is that Windows phones don’t necessarily seem to be problem this time, but the Windows 10 platform altogether, as the Wall Street Journal sees to no reason to invest in a Windows Store app. And the main reason is probably the small number of users, as it’s more often the case of Windows phones.

“The Windows 10 app will be discontinued on June 30th. You can access the same content and more on WSJ.com and our iOS and Android mobile apps,” the message posted on the app page reads.

Full focus on Android and iOS

In other words, starting June 31, Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile users will have to point their browsers to WSJ’s official website to read its articles. While the app will be pulled from the Windows Store, it could still work for a while, but no information is provided in this regard.

Seeing the WSJ focusing on Android and iOS is not at all surprising, especially because Microsoft itself also seems to be focusing a lot more on rival platforms these days. And it makes sense, as statistics put Android at more than 80 percent market share, while iOS has anywhere between 15 to 19 percent, depending on the market research firm.

As for Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, the market share in this case is below 0.5 percent, with analyst firm IDC estimating that by 2021, they would both reach 0 percent market share.