14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re still using a Windows phone, albeit the likelihood is very low given the 0 percent market share of Microsoft’s mobile platform, then you should know that another key app is about to go dark.
WhatsApp, which has long been one of the apps getting updates regularly on Windows phones, would no longer work on this particular operating system beginning with January 2020.
And while it does look like users still have a half of year to prepare for the demise of WhatsApp on Windows phones, the parent company is getting ready for another milestone in just two weeks.
The official WhatsApp client for Windows phones could be pulled from the Microsoft Store in early July, as the developing firm itself says in an update discovered by Rafael Rivera.
“You'll no longer be able to use all Windows Phone operating systems after December 31, 2019, and WhatsApp might not be available in the Microsoft Store after July 1, 2019,” WhatsApp says.
“Because we no longer actively develop for these operating systems, some features might stop functioning at any time.”
More apps likely to go dark soon
WhatApp giving up on its Windows 10 Mobile client isn’t necessarily surprising. Microsoft has recently abandoned an older version of the operating system, and moving forward, it continues to support just a single release that’s available for a very limited number of devices.
Windows 10 Mobile will go dark once and for all in December, at which point everyone should move to Android or iOS. The platform itself has already collapsed and currently holds a 0 percent market share, albeit a small number of consumers still use Windows phones.
More developers are expected to remove their apps from the Microsoft Store in the coming weeks as we approach the December end-of-support date.