Microsoft has announced the date it will kill support for its mobile operating system

Microsoft has announced that it will kill support for Windows 10 Mobile, its consumer and business operating system for smartphones, on August 1 2019.

The operating system is not currently available to non-Microsoft consumer devices, but the company has already made it clear that support - which means regular updates for both features and security - will last around 36 months.

Support for Windows 10, the desktop version of the operating system, will end in 2025, a full decade after its release. Microsoft has only just stopped supporting Windows XP after 12 years.

Both the consumer and business version of Windows 10 Mobile will stop receiving updates in 2019, according to the document. "Microsoft will make updates available for the Operating System, including security updates, for a minimum of 24 months after the lifecycle start date," it reads.

Windows 10 has gained over 200 million users in just three months. The mobile version of the operating system is struggling, however, capturing just 2.5% of the worldwide smartphone marketshare.