Microsoft has officially ended support for its older Windows Phone 8 operating system, almost 4 years after it purchased Nokia’s phone business (Nokia Devices, Lumia, patents) for a total amount of $ 2.7 billion in 2013. As per this support thread, Windows 8.1 will effectively become an unsupported service starting July 11th; this date was fixed in October last year. The development was first reported by The Verge. It is not clear, what happens to the newer Windows 10 Mobile version, but Windows 10 also has a shelf life, while Microsoft hasn't made any significant announcements about its Phone segment yet. Last was the Windows 10 Mobile Creators update in April. What this means for Windows users 73.9% of Windows Phone users still use Windows Phone 8.1, while another 4.2% use Windows Phone 8.0, as per this AdDuplex Windows Device Statistics Report, June 2017 (h/t: The Verge). These users will not receive any more security patches fixes, software/firmware updates, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates. Many popular apps have also ended support for Windows 8 versions. In this year alone, two popular messaging apps including WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger announced that it will end support for Windows 8.0 and 8.1. Last year, Skype also ended support for Windows Phone 8.0 and 8.1. However, some of these services still run on Windows 10; WhatsApp issued updates on Windows Phone 10 in February this year. Nokia purcahse never went well for Microsoft Windows Phone Devices currently hold less…
