Microsoft announces the end of support for Windows 10 Mobile: it will no longer be updated. Microsoft's era in the mobile world ends
Windows 10 Mobile's days are numbered: to be precise, until December 10, 2019. The official announcement comes directly from the Redmond company: "as of December 10, 2019, Windows 10 Mobile users will no longer be eligible to receive free new security updates, quick non-security updates, free assisted support options or online technical content updates from Microsoft."
What does this news imply? In just under a year's time, Windows 10 Mobile and the development of its features will be permanently halted, ending the development of Microsoft's mobile operating system. Windows 10 Mobile has failed where Windows 8 Mobile had already failed: trying to carve out a small slice of the market in the sector of operating systems for smartphones. Despite Microsoft's efforts to develop applications and services, Windows 10 Mobile did not offer the same functionality as Android and iOS.
The end of Windows 10 Mobile support
The same fate had befallen Windows Phone 8.1 and, before that, Windows Phone 7: however, if about these last editions of Microsoft's mobile OS you could be sure that the development would continue, the officially sanctioned end of Windows 10 Mobile support breaks the story in the world of smartphones of the Redmond company.
Confirming that this is not fake news, Microsoft's invitation to buy an Android or iOS device if you still use a Windows smartphone: "with the end of Windows 10 Mobile operating system support, we recommend that customers switch to a supported Android or iOS device. Microsoft's mission to enable every person and organization on the planet to achieve more compels us to support our mobile apps across those platforms and devices."
Windows 10 Mobile: watch out for deadlines
Support, until December 10, 2019, applies to devices running Windows 10 Mobile version 1709. While, for owners of Windows 10 Mobile version 1703, such as Lumia 640 and 640 XL, support will end on June 11, 2019: after those dates, Windows 10 Mobile devices should continue to work but updates, including security updates, will no longer be delivered, the backup feature will be discontinued, and other "back-end" services will be suspended.
Device and app backups can be created until March 10, 2020, and those backups can be retrieved anywhere up to a year after the initial sunset of December 10, 2019. To keep in mind.