14 DAY TRIAL // The group of developers leaving Windows devices has quietly added a new member, as popular app Shazam is being discontinued.
Shazam, which is frequently updated on iOS and Android, no longer shows up in search results in the Windows Store, but can still be downloaded with the direct link, though it’s not yet clear how long this trick is going to work.
According to this report, Shazam decided to wave goodbye to Windows devices on February 7, but an announcement was only posted in the apps’ help section where the parent company confirmed its decision to abandon development of the client without actually providing a reason for this.
“Effective Feb. 7, 2017, we are sunsetting Shazam for Windows. However, anyone who previously downloaded and installed Shazam for Windows on their phone can continue to use the app and access all features,” the announcement reads.
“It has been discontinued, and as of Feb. 7, 2017, will no longer be supported—nor will it appear in the Microsoft App Store as an available download. Shazam will continue to work until or unless it becomes incompatible with a different version of Microsoft's operating system.”
The dropping market share of Windows phones
Though no reason was provided, there’s absolutely no doubt that the declining market share of Windows phones coupled with the somewhat limited interest in Windows Store apps on PCs convinced Shazam to abandon the platform and focus entirely on iOS and Android.
Unfortunately for Windows users, this is quite a big loss as Shazam is one of the popular apps on the platform and its removal is likely to push some phone users to rival platforms as well.
On the good side, the app will continue working on devices where it’s already installed, but as soon as Microsoft rolls out an OS update causing a compatibility issue, Shazam becomes completely obsolete without a fix from its developer.