If you are one of the few that are still rocking the old version of the operating system, then make way for some news. Stores for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are all set for retirement.
Microsoft clearly wants everyone to move to the latest version of Windows, and shutting down access to the apps repository for these old platforms is part of the plan. The software titan announced the dates in a blog post recently.
The first date that you will want to keep an eye on is October 31, which is when Redmond will stop accepting new apps for these old platforms.
Updates to the apps and games will still be accepted, of course.
But beginning July 1, 2019, users still on these old versions of the OS will stop getting updates to their installed applications. And since you actually need to download an app from the Store on your device to upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile, this is also your last chance to make the move up.
Getting back to Windows 8 PCs, they will no longer receive app updates after July 1, 2023.
No surprises here, as this is the date right after the end of support for Windows 8.1, the extended support for which ends on January 10 of that year. All the action will then shift to Windows 10 beyond this date, and apps will continue to receive updates on the latest OS.
None of this is surprising or exciting news for users still running variants of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. But this is how things are, and meant to be.
Obviously, there are various reasons why users are stick with these old operating systems, including lack of hardware support in some cases, software compatibility in others. Some folks probably can’t find time to upgrade their systems.
All said and done, the time for these two platforms is nearing its end.
And so is their access to the Store.
