14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has decided to make some painful changes to Skype, so the official client will no longer work on a number of platforms, including Windows Phone 8.0 and 8.1.
Basically, what Microsoft is planning to do is concentrate only on the newest versions of desktop and mobile operating systems out there, so as far as Windows phones are concerned, only Windows 10 Mobile devices will continue to get updates.
Unfortunately, however, this news comes after a series of departures from the platform, and Microsoft, just like all the other developers that decided to jump ship, is hurting Windows Phone. And this chart coming from AdDuplex and tweeted by famous WP developer Rudy Huyn is living proof.
More than 80 percent of users are on Windows Phone 8.0 and 8.1
Windows Phone 8.1 is currently running on 78.8 percent of the Windows phone out there while Windows Phone 8.0 has a share of 7.4 percent. This means that more than 80 percent of users are left behind with no Skype version, which is kind of surprising, given the fact that this is Microsoft’s operating system and Microsoft’s messaging app.
Furthermore, with Redmond’s decision to make Windows 10 Mobile available to just approximately 50 percent of the Windows Phone device lineup, it’s very clear that options are kind of limited for those who are still on versions 8.0 and 8.1.
The change will take place in October 2016, so beyond this date, Skype will stop working on Windows Phone devices completely, so the next few months will definitely be pretty difficult for the platform.
If Microsoft itself is taking such a painful decision, users are less likely to find a reason to stick with Windows Phone, so a new drop in market share is expected by the end of the year. According to the most recent data provided by Gartner, Windows Phone is currently at 0.7 market share, so it’ll be definitely interesting to see how the loyal userbase reacts after this new decision.
