Microsoft to finally lay Windows 10 Mobile to rest on December 10, 2019, recommends users switch to iOS or Android

[Nowak]

Sauce: https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/18/18188054/microsoft-windows-phone-windows-10-mobile-end-of-support-updates

 

Yes, I will be reposting that image every time I post about Windows Phone. Anyway, Microsoft has announced the end of life for their ailing mobile operating system via a support page.

 

Quote

Microsoft is planning to end support for Windows 10 Mobile devices in December. While Microsoft revealed back in 2017 that the company was no longer developing new features or hardware for Windows 10 Mobile, security and software updates have continued. These security updates will now cease on December 10th 2019, and devices will be unsupported after this date. “Windows 10 Mobile, version 1709 (released October 2017) is the last release of Windows 10 Mobile and Microsoft will end support on December 10, 2019,” reads a Microsoft support note that was updated this week.

The support page can be found here. Most interestingly, it recommends that users of Windows 10 Mobile to switch to the competing iOS and Android.

Surface Andromeda is real tho guys!!!!!!!!

 

For the 10 Windows 10 Mobile users out there wondering, device backups for your phone and some apps will continue working until March 10, 2020, and photo backups and restoring a phone from a backup will continue for "up to" another 12 months after EOL. You will not, however, get security patches or bug fixes.

 

Quote

After Microsoft pulls support in December, device backups for settings and some apps will continue for three months until March 10th, 2020. Microsoft notes “some services including photo uploads and restoring a device from an existing device backup may continue to work for up to another 12 months from end of support.”

 

Honestly, this is a bit bittersweet for me. While it's not entirely unexpected after Microsoft failed to gain any significant traction in the mobile market (after boldly claiming that they will "bury the competition"), my first smartphone was a Windows phone. I'm both sad and not sad to see it finally go. Sad because it's my first phone OS, not sad because in retrospect, it was an unmitigated disaster and, frankly, really painful to use.

 

Goodbye, Windows Phone. You'll be remembered as one of the most glorious failures in mobile computing.

[iamdarkyoshi]

Windows mobile was both too early and too late for what it was trying to do

[Guest]

Thats a shame. When Windows Mobile 6 was around, I preferred it to Android or iPhone OS. Pocket PCs were really quite cool. Really went downhill with Windows Phone 7. 

[r2724r16]

8 minutes ago, Nowak said:

Goodbye, Windows Phone. You'll be remembered as one of the most glorious failures in mobile computing.

Windows Phone was a disaster. I'm happy it's finally going away.  

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

F

[scottyseng]

Ah, I guess I should finally switch from my Lumia 950 to something else....or keep pushing it off

 

But darn, I really like how Windows Phone UI is.

[Nowak]

Just now, scottyseng said:

Ah, I guess I should finally switch from my Lumia 950 to something else....or keep pushing it off

 

But darn, I really like how Windows Phone UI is.

There's Launcher10 on Android, if you want to retain the WP home screen experience.

[.Apex.]

[Fnige]

R.I.P

Windows 10 mobile

Your integration with your older sibling wasn't good enough

6/10/15 - 10/12/19

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

@SlimyPython i never understood what they were trying to do. by integration do you mean like the Apple ecosystem, where you can resume documents and webpages between devices?

[Rune]

F

But really, just like Windows 8, Microsoft was a bit too forward thinking and didn't execute the ideas well enough. They tried to out Apple Apple and it blew up in their faces.

[GoodBytes]

Very sad. Although what is funny, is this dead OS has better support (4 years) than Android (2 years).

Not to mention Microsoft deliver updates through it update platform and doesn't need to rely on carriers ensuring everyone has updates like Apple or Google Pixel phone's

 

I think Windows Phone had a lot of innovations which push mobile phone OS forward.

Heck, Android Q, based on the recent leaks of the OS in development, will FINALLY have system wide dark theme (welcome to 2007 Google), and I expect Apple to do the same shortly after. Apparently it required extensive research from Google (yea right, just to claim it was their idea, and not copy the last thing from Windows Phone) to acknowledge that dark theme actually help battery life on OLED screen and improve contrast for easy reading outside.

 

Anyways, for those on Windows 10 Mobile, i think this year will be a great year to switch to Android.

• As just mentioned, Android Q will finally have Dark theme.
• Microsoft has ported everything from W10M to Android, including Windows 10 integration, if I am not mistaken, so everything should be ready for the transition.
• All Microsoft apps are updated and now should be of same quality or better than on what Win10 Mobile has
• The latest phone should have a notable (finally) improvement on the camera over the Lumia 950 / 950 XL.
• Notch disaster should disappear
• No headphone plug and only 1 USB Type-C and not 2 to compensate... but I guess we can't have everything
• Microsoft launcher is pretty cool! Highly well reviews and reached high amounts of downloads.

[.Apex.]

2 minutes ago, Rune said:

F

But really, just like Windows 8, Microsoft was a bit too forward thinking and didn't execute the ideas well enough. They tried to out Apple Apple and it blew up in their faces.

i wouldn't call Windows 8 "forward thinking"

[Levent]

lmao I love how ambitious they were about windows 8 in 2012 and how its all crumbling down now. pls kill uwp bullshit next.

[Rune]

Just now, syn2112 said:

i wouldn't call Windows 8 "forward thinking"

I would. The world wasn't ready for touch devices to be their main computing device (especially with how garbage screens were at that point). I'd argue we're getting there now, but still not quite yet.

[GoodBytes]

3 minutes ago, firelighter487 said:

@SlimyPython i never understood what they were trying to do. by integration do you mean like the Apple ecosystem, where you can resume documents and webpages between devices?

Yes, as well as bookmarks sync, make your phone lock as you walk away (with your phone), view your camera photos on your PC without connecting your phone, receive phone notifications on your PC, and send/receive SMS from your PC. Coming soon: view and interact with your phone apps on your PC.

[.Apex.]

Just now, Rune said:

I would. The world wasn't ready for touch devices to be their main computing device (especially with how garbage screens were at that point). I'd argue we're getting there now, but still not quite yet.

sure if Windows 8 was only for touch devices, but it's not, it's supposed to be for everybody, no one doing serious work would be touching their devices, it's not accurate and much slower.

[Nowak]

5 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Although what is funny, is this dead OS has better support (4 years) than Android (2 years).

The thing is, that's because of the "rolling release" structure of Windows 10, with each new version getting ~2 years of support post-release. Version 1709 was the last major update for 10 Mobile, and December 10, 2019 will mark the end of support for Windows 10 v1709, being a little over 2 years after release.

 

So, effectively, is it truly 4 years of support, or 2 years per release over 4 major updates?

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, syn2112 said:

no one doing serious work would be touching their devices

Any Point of Sales systems do.

Touch systems work well for collaborative projects.

Artists are also a group of people that exist.

Developers targetting touchscreen devices can also benefit from having a touchscreen PCs.

[GoodBytes]

11 minutes ago, syn2112 said:

sure if Windows 8 was only for touch devices, but it's not, it's supposed to be for everybody, no one doing serious work would be touching their devices, it's not accurate and much slower.

At the time of development of Windows 8, the market showed a steep reduction in desktop and laptop sales, and a massive peak in tablets.

Yes, the issue is that Microsoft just ignored current users, ignored powered users, and more... this was a massive mistake. And a fix  (mode to get the start Menu) was not done because Windows GUI was in the hands, with carte blanche, to Steve Sinofsky... the company was betting big with him, he was basically a Steve Jobs. Sadly, while maybe he was visionary, it didn't fit the market reality of the time due to this.

 

[.Apex.]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

Any Point of Sales systems do.

Touch systems work well for collaborative projects.

Artists are also a group of people that exist.

Developers targetting touchscreen devices can also benefit from having a touchscreen PCs.

I understand the benefit of touchscreen, but again, this was supposed to be a system designed for everyone to use, not cater to some specific use cases.. that's why it failed because the majority of the people who use Windows don't really benefit from touch screen.

 

Windows 10 is doing it much better, it gives you the option to choose between a touchscreen designed interface, and a mouse/keyboard designed interface.

[GoodBytes]

5 minutes ago, Nowak said:

The thing is, that's because of the "rolling release" structure of Windows 10, with each new version getting ~2 years of support post-release. Version 1709 was the last major update for 10 Mobile, and December 10, 2019 will mark the end of support for Windows 10 v1709, being a little over 2 years after release.

 

So, effectively, is it truly 4 years of support, or 2 years per release over 4 major updates?

Good point, however, I would say: Truly 4 years.

On Android, you are cut out after 2 years. You won't get Android Z when it will come out. You may not even get security updates either, depending on the phone you have. You have 2 years, which is at best, if you happen to get a popular phone, get 1 upgrade to the latest major version of Android. (we will see if this continues for Google Pixel 1 to see if it gets the exception in support),

 

[yolosnail]

I actually really liked Windows Mobile. It managed to be modern and simple, unlike iOS, which looks like it hasnt been updated in 10 years.

It was always smooth, even on low end hardware, which is more than can be said for Android

[Drak3]

Just now, yolosnail said:

It managed to be modern

That is a meaningless phrase.

 

1 minute ago, yolosnail said:

It was always smooth, even on low end hardware

No, it was always smooth ON low end hardware. For some reason, many Lumia 950s and 950XLs hit random, minor lag spikes. It was pretty fucking wierd.

 

Still better than the vast majority of Android phones though.

[Nowak]

Just now, GoodBytes said:

Truly 4 years. On Android, you are cut out after 2 years. You won't get Android Z when it will come out. You may not even get security updates either, depending on the phone you have.

Try telling that to every Windows Phone owner who was left on the Anniversary Update or even Threshold because their phones got abandoned by Microsoft. Remember, the Creators Update was offered to only 11 devices, and then the Fall Creators Update was offered to 9.

 

That isn't including hacky workarounds, which isn't "support" because that involves tricking the update server into thinking you were using a Lumia 950, rather than an officially Microsoft-sanctioned way of updating your phone.