Those who are still using the Windows Phone 8.1 devices, this is a bad news. Microsoft has officially removed the Windows Phone 8.1 support starting from July 11th, 2017. The removal of support for mobiles running the old Windows OS came almost 3 years after the first Windows Phone was launched. This clearly means users will have to either upgrade their Windows Phone devices to Windows 10 Mobile OS (if they are compatible) or use the unsupported devices.
End of Windows Phone 8.1 support
It is certainly the end of Windows Phones because of the end of Windows Phone 8.1 support. The end of support was mainly triggered because Microsoft is now concentrating on Windows 10 Mobile OS. Besides, Microsoft had already declared at the time of Windows Phone’s launch that the support will be provided only for 36 months. On Microsoft Support website, it was clearly mentioned;
“Microsoft will make updates available for the Operating System, including security updates, for a minimum of 36 months after the lifecycle start date. These updates will be incremental, with each update built on the update that preceded it.”
It was further mentioned in the notes;
“Customers need to install each update in order to remain supported. The distribution of these incremental updates may be controlled by the mobile operator or the phone manufacturer from which you purchased your phone, and installation will require that your phone has any prior updates. Update availability will also vary by country, region, and hardware capabilities.”
Aftermath of end of Windows Phone 8.1 support
The end of Windows Phone 8.1 support comes with a major blow for all users of the Windows Phones devices. According to the AdDuplex Windows Device Statistics Report – June 2017, nearly 80% Windows OS devices are still running on the older operating systems, such as Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8, or Windows Phone 8.1. Only 20% Windows Phones are running on the latest Windows 10 Mobile OS. That means the majority of the Windows Phones devices will go in the trash since the OS is now unsupported.
The last update to Windows Phone OS, i.e. Windows Phone 8.1 was the biggest update so far. It came with lots of new features such as Cortana assistance, new UI and notification center. Unfortunately, Windows Phone 8.1 failed to compete with iOS and Android platforms. As a result, almost 99% people opted for iOS and Android devices instead of Windows Phones. As a result, Microsoft had to stop its production of Nokia Lumia handsets.
The end of support for Windows Phone 8.1 certainly has created a lot of stir amongst the users. Though Microsoft has already introduced its new operating system, Windows 10 Mobile, its support too will end in 2018.
