Nokia was a household name and its phones ran Symbian OS. Soon, Google’s Android became a phenomenon, and Finnish giant lost its spot. Microsoft tried to replicate Nokia’s success with its own smartphone OS but it failed. Fast forward to today, Nokia phones now have Android OS installed on them and the company’s growth is witnessing an upward spiral. In the meantime, Lumia phones dragged themselves to demise and with Microsoft pulling the plug on the Windows 10 support, it’s time we accept that Windows Phone era is finally over.
After December 10, 2019 Windows 10 Mobile users will no longer receive new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free assisted support options or online technical content updates from Microsoft. ‘Third parties or paid support programmes may provide ongoing support, but it is important to recognise that Microsoft support will not publicly provide updates or patches for Windows 10 Mobile,’ the company said in a blog.
Microsoft says that after the end of support, automatic or manual creation of new device backups for settings and some applications will continue for three months, i.e, till March 10, 2020. 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 the end of support.
Microsoft has advised those who will continue using their Windows 10 Mobile device after December 10, 2019 to manually create a backup using the Settings > Update & security>Backup>More Options and then tapping Back Up Now before the date.
When it comes to apps, some apps might still be working, but Microsoft won’t be pushing any new updates to those apps. App developers (including Microsoft) may end support for an app at any time. This means that users have to either shift to iOS or Android devices. Those who wish to use Nokia devices can try Nokia on Android OS.
