Microsoft is killing off a key selling point of its Windows Phone operating system: Facebook integration. The software giant first launched Windows Phone back in 2010 as the first to feature deep integration with Facebook contacts and the news feed. It was a unique feature, but due to a recent update to Facebook’s Graph API, Microsoft has been forced to shutdown all of its Facebook Connect features.
In a detailed support article, Microsoft notes that Facebook contact integration in Outlook.com, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone will no longer work. "Contact information for the Facebook contacts shown will no longer be updated with information from Facebook," notes Microsoft. The changes go even further than just the much loved Facebook contacts integration. Microsoft’s social connector for Outlook 2013 is now rendered useless for Facebook integration, and the company’s Office 365 Outlook Web App will no longer pull in any Facebook information.
Microsoft has confirmed the changes to The Verge in a statement, but notes that Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 users will be able access some Facebook content through app integration. “Due to changes in Facebook’s latest API, Microsoft will no longer support Facebook Connect, a service that integrates some Facebook content with a Microsoft account," says a Microsoft spokesperson. "We are proactively working with customers to communicate the changes."
Update June 9th, 12:50PM: article updated to include comment from Microsoft.
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