Windows Phone is officially 'dead'

End of support for Windows 8.1 marks the end of an era

Three years after the company first introduced the update, Microsoft has killed off Windows Phone 8.1 support.

The end of support for Windows Phone 8.1 marks an end of  "Windows Phone" era, and the devices that are still running the operating system. Around 80 per cent of all Windows-powered phones currently run Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8, or Windows Phone 8.1 – all unsupported versions as of now.

Only 20 per cent of all Windows phones are running the latest Windows 10 Mobile OS, according to AdDuplex.



Although, Microsoft added Windows Phone 8.1 to its  "end of support" list on Tuesday, many believe that the death of Windows Phone occurred more than a year ago when its market share deteriorated to less than one per cent.

End of support means there will be no updates to it of any kind, including security updates. The fact that Microsoft will no longer be providing security patches will leave the system wide open to be exploited by hackers. So if you’re still using good old Windows Phone, it’s time you start looking for a new smartphone.

When it was launched, Windows Phone 8.1 was widely perceived as the biggest update to Microsoft’s operating system. The update introduced the company’s digital assistant Cortana , a new notification center, UI changes, and updates to the Windows core mobile OS.



However, Microsoft wasn’t successful in competing with Android or iOS with 99.6 per cent of all new smartphones now running Android or iOS.

While Microsoft has moved on to "Windows 10 Mobile", it’s not clear what how the future looks for Windows.

This article originally appeared on The Verge.