Facebook and Facebook Messenger going dark this month

Apr 5, 2019 05:48 GMT  ·  By

The official Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps for Windows phones will be retired on April 30, so users will be left with no other choice than to connect to these services in the browser.

As reported by engadget, Facebook will retire all its apps for smartphones running Microsoft’s mobile operating system and will continue to focus exclusively on Android and iOS.

The announcement, however, isn’t surprising, and earlier this week, it was revealed that the Instagram app would be going dark on April 30 as well. The official Windows phone Instagram app now shows a warning to notify users about the upcoming deadline and to point them to the websites.

Windows 10 Mobile to go dark in December

Developers abandoning their Windows Phone apps isn’t necessarily a new thing, as app makers have been migrating to Android and iOS for several years already.

The lack of apps and developer support is the main reason behind the decline of Microsoft’s mobile push, with lackluster sales hitting nearly every single device that reached the market and running either Windows Phone or Windows 10 Mobile.

Microsoft is projected to discontinue Windows 10 Mobile in December, so beyond this date, no further security updates would be issued and vulnerabilities in the operating system would remain unpatched.

Meanwhile, Microsoft itself recommends users to switch to Android or iOS for continued app support, as the company has made it a priority to deliver timely updates for all its apps on these two platforms.

At this point, only a few users still run Windows Phone or Windows 10 Mobile on their mobile devices, so the departure of Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger is unlikely to impact too many users. But on the other hand, it’s another reminder that the end of the platform is just around the corner.