Microsoft is officially ending support for Windows 10 Mobile at the end of 2019, signalling the end of life for its sparsely-used smartphone OS.
The company announced way back in 2017 that it would no longer release hardware or new features for the software, but now we have an end date: December 10 2019.
After that, the remaining devices in use will join the ranks of the obsolete, with Microsoft recommending its remaining users shift their attentions to iOS or Android, where many of the key Windows applications now reside.
“With the Windows 10 Mobile OS end of support, we recommend that customers move to a supported Android or iOS device,” Microsoft writes in an updated support document (via The Verge).
The firm says that it will give users a further three months of limited functionality for device backups and some apps, but the phones will effectively be useless once mid-December rolls around.
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The company does say that “some services including photo uploads and restoring a device from an existing device backup may continue to work for up to another 12 months from end of support” so all is not completely lost.
The end-of-life for Windows 10 Mobile officially brings an end to Microsoft’s vision for a universal ecosystem that enabled seamless work between smartphone and PC. The company enjoyed very limited support from manufacturers, especially after the experiment with Nokia ownership came to a largely fruitless end.
In fairness, once it became obvious Windows 10 Mobile wasn’t going to be a thing, the company quickly turned its attentions to bringing many of those advertised features to iOS and Android. There’s an Android launcher featuring a crop of Windows apps, and access to the Cortana personal assistant, while the company is also working on screen mirroring.
Are you a Windows 10 Mobile user now forced to choose between iOS and Android? Which are you leaning towards? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
