In a series of tweets, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore has revealed that the software giant is no longer developing new features or hardware for Windows 10 Mobile. While Windows Phone fans had hoped Microsoft would update the platform with new features, it’s now clear the operating system has been placed into servicing mode, with just bug fixes and security updates for existing users.
“Of course we'll continue to support the platform.. bug fixes, security updates,” says Belfiore. “But building new features/hw aren't the focus.” During the recent Windows 10 Fall Creators Update development phase, it has been obvious Microsoft is no longer working on the mobile experience. The software maker branched its development process into “feature2,” leaving Windows Phone fans disappointed.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform has been dead for more than a year, but the company has never officially admitted it before. Microsoft gutted its phone business last year, resulting in thousands of job cuts. During Microsoft’s recent Build and Inspire conferences, CEO Satya Nadella dropped the company’s mantra of “mobile-first, cloud-first” in favor of a focus on what he describes as the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge. This new area of focus means Microsoft is now working on multi-device scenarios and cloud-powered technologies that don’t always involve Windows.
Belfiore also admits he switched to Android, just like Bill Gates, and that Microsoft will support Windows 10 customers who want to use Android and iOS on their phones. One of the big reasons Microsoft is giving up on Windows Phone is because developers never backed the platform. Microsoft had many problems with its Windows Phone app store, and the inability to retain apps once they were developed. “We have tried very hard to incent app devs,” explains Belfiore. “Paid money.. wrote apps 4 them.. but volume of users is too low for most companies to invest.”
It’s now clear Microsoft has faced the reality that people don't need Windows on their phones. The software maker has been focused on iOS and Android apps and experiences over the past couple of years. Microsoft’s Edge browser is making its way to iOS and Android, and the company seems to be focused on improving the experience of linking a phone to a PC and resuming apps and documents between the two.
A new Microsoft Launcher for Android even goes a step further in improving the overall Android experience, with clever customizations and PC sharing features. Expect to see a lot more of this in the future. It’s now unlikely we’ll ever see a Surface-branded phone or more Windows 10 Mobile-powered hardware. Microsoft’s investments in iOS and Android will only benefit Windows 10 customers, and it could make up for the company’s messy efforts in mobile over the years.
Comments
Such a shame.
By Capcaunul on 10.09.17 3:10am
i was rooting for windows mobile.. until they went with apple’s closed-garden app marketplace model.. F that!
By peabody3000 on 10.09.17 3:14am
It may have to come from the EU, but I really hope someone figures out how to legislate that walled gardens, "ecosystems", and the like are illegal. Monopolies even.
The fact that I can’t message a facebook friend without having to have a facebook account but I can send an email from any service to another, I can text from any wireless provider to another, etc is just insane.
Outside of apps, no one should be allowed to lock anything to a device, service, etc. Apple is by far the worst offender. I’m actually surprised the AirPods don’t explode if you attach them to an Android phone (they don’t. They work with my Pixel…).
By descendency on 10.09.17 11:23am
You know that sad guy who can’t get over his wife leaving him 5 years after the papers were signed and everyone around him was trying to tell him it’s over. Yeah Microsoft, you’re that guy.
By Julian Owens on 10.09.17 3:16am
Yeah but just like that guys ex wife, windows phone was soo good looking.
By jmsbar on 10.09.17 3:20am
It’s more like the 2 people that bought into the platform are "that guy".
By EvilAvatar on 10.09.17 4:32am
All Microsoft had to do is make a good
Surface Phone, sell it only through the Microsoft Online and Physical Retail Stores, Tie Bing into the Windows Phone Store app so that it would be simple to add Mobile Website Bookmarks in place of actual mobiles apps, then make sure the Edge Browser has great performance.
The idea is to make Mobile Websites as nearly indistinguishable from a user perspective as MOBILE APPS as they could.
By Kyleh on 10.09.17 3:20am
Glad you’re not running Microsoft. ‘Hey guys, let’s spend millions on a new phone that highlights how great Bing and Edge are, people love these products right?"
By Strand0410 on 10.09.17 6:06am
If you are a heavy Microsoft user, as in XBox One S, Surface Laptop, Office 365 and Outlook.com as a Primary Personal email, then yes most likely you do use Bing and Edge.
The Surface Phone could be a limited Edition, meant purely for that group of users. And I’m really glad Satya Nadella runs Microsoft instead of you!
By Kyleh on 10.09.17 9:57am
The number of people you just sold a phone to can be counted on one hand.
Samsung just sold more S8+s in the time it took me to type this than that. Apple had more people get fired because they wanted to line up for the next iPhone than that.
I love how crazy innovative Microsoft has been at times, even if the product flopped – but a Surface Phone was never going to sell more than let’s say 5 million. In this economy of scale, that was never going to amount to anything.
By descendency on 10.09.17 11:28am
I know Microsoft lost mobile to iOS and Android as a whole! But I’m saying a limited edition Surface Phone would be great for Microsoft fans.
By Kyleh on 10.10.17 5:59am
I love Bing and Edge has real potential. Is Bing great? No but it’s weird their only issue is improving on search algorithms here and there.
By Palestinianpelican on 10.09.17 9:58am
"all the had to do"
Yep, throwing more $$ in the same fire pit would make a difference /s
By kirko7 on 10.09.17 7:44am
"Scroogled."
lol.
By shakalakaboom on 10.09.17 3:24am
‘Evil Google’ always has the last laugh…
By Doge Man on 10.09.17 2:19pm
I like how a technological giant like Microsoft decides to drop important news about its products with cryptic tweets by one of its employees instead of official statements in their website
By dsfgw3crqr2r23cq on 10.09.17 3:24am
I don’t think a place like build, filled with alienated MS stack developers would be a good place to announce this. This means that MS abandons more than mobile, but the whole idea of ever making money from their tech. THEY will make money off of iOS and Android, but long time MS devs are left stranded. Let’s see Mr. Belfiore prove us wrong by presenting actual numbers from the Windows Store. Is anyone making money off of that?
By tasos.mythbuster on 10.09.17 3:29am
Actually Microsoft did some interesting work with Cortana, Continuum and Timeline.
By Kyleh on 10.10.17 6:04am
If Trump can drop news about North Korea on twitter…
By zale123 on 10.09.17 7:33am
name-calling =/= "news"
By shakalakaboom on 10.09.17 2:23pm
Really dissppointing decision although it is hardly a surprise
They had the resources to develop main apps by themselves. Once you had FB, Instagram and Whatsapp on board (the apps used by 90% of the time) you are done. Don’t need million of 3rd party apps to make it nowadays.
A compelling proposition would have been Continuum, faster and more refined in a Surface phone.
Heck, even Samsung, a hw manufacturer first, manage to did that.
By theagentsmith on 10.09.17 3:24am
There’s Snapchat, Uber, Google apps, your banking app, your favorite web service that either isn’t on the platform or would be sooner or laterdiscontinued because of low share…
By Chipiron on 10.09.17 5:00am
Yeah you do, unfortunately. For example our local public transport charges you more for a ticket if you don’t use their app. I have 3 kids at 2 schools, each of which have different apps for getting news, reporting kids are sick etc. Neither of the websites for doing so are responsive or otherwise mobile enabled. Indeed, compared to the apps, the websites are a nightmare. NFC payments and loyalty cards at supermarkets etc etc etc. And we were lucky enough that our bank did support Windows 10M! Finally I had to change to android. My wife is still holding dear to her Lumia 950, but she’ll be changing soon too. Fortunately squarehome2 gives me a similar interface. Launcher 10 was the other alternative, I wish they’d merge, each does somethings a bit better than other! Or even better – if Microsoft’s Android Launcher offered a W10M-like launcher option. That might help keep some of us diehards happier …
By icerat on 10.09.17 5:32am
No normal human being can survive in a MS-only world, and Belfiore admits that they paid devs and even made apps for them but it didn’t work.
No, you don’t need 3 million apps, but you need all the core ones. Let’s ignore the fact that FB and Messenger are borderline unusable on WP these days… but no Google/YouTube/etc., Snapchat, quality of life apps (banks, loyalty apps, transit, companion apps), and no games (Pokemon Go, etc.)
By Strand0410 on 10.09.17 6:11am
I think this might be interesting to see the result: Name the last fad-app that was on (and supported) Windows mobile. (An entire company that popped up since the app-revolution that only really has an app, tinder, or an app that went from 0 to multiple millions over the last year, pokemon go.)
By descendency on 10.09.17 11:36am