Microsoft's Windows Phone platform is dead
Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's corporate VP of the Operating Systems Group, confirmed in a tweet on Sunday that the company won't be adding new features or building new devices that run the mobile Windows Phone operating system.
Belfiore's tweet solidified what Terry Myerson, executive VP of Microsoft's Windows and Devices group, said in an interview with The Verge in March 2016: The Windows mobile platform simply isn't Microsoft's focus now.
It means that phones running Windows Phone 10 or earlier will continue to work, but they won't receive updates containing new features. Any update will simply contain general support, like bug fixes and security updates.
The Windows Phone platform never enjoyed much success during its competition with Android and iPhone, mostly because the app ecosystem on Windows Phone was lacking compared to Android and iPhone. Belfiore also commented on the lack of apps and failure to get more apps onto the platform, saying that Windows Phone's "volume of users is too low for most companies to invest":
A Twitter user asked Belfiore whether it was time to "leave the Windows Mobile platform," to which Belfiore replied "Depends who you are. Many companies still deploy to their employees and we will support them!" Belfiore followed up to his answer, saying "As an individual end-user, I switched platforms for the app/hw diversity. We will support those users too!"
Essentially, business users will still get Windows Phone support, but consumers won't see the improvements needed to keep them on the platform. Belfiore says even he has switched to a different platform "for the app/[hardware] diversity."
Microsoft has recently shifted its focus to making Windows apps for Android and iPhone's iOS mobile operating systems. The company recently announced that it's releasing its Microsoft Edge web browser mobile app for iOS and Android, as well as a Microsoft Launcher for Android that's designed to integrate more closely with Windows 10 PCs.
Microsoft Launcher will let you press your Android phone's home button to continue what you were doing on your Windows 10 PC, like viewing photos or documents you were working on.
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