It was 2017 when Microsoft stopped support for the Windows Phone 8.1 Operating system for Mobile phones.

Now, in not a very surprising move, the company has finally announced that it will also shut down the Windows Phone 8.1 store in December this year. The company will officially shut it down on December 16th, as shared in the official documentation from the Redmond giant. It also says that if you have already downloaded an app using it in your WP device, it may work but after some time, you may face issues/function reductions in these apps.

Some reduction in functionality may result as follows,

  1. Users will not be able to download any additional apps to the phone. Users should make sure to download all applications that they might want before December 16, 2019.
  2. There may be some degradation in-app functionality going forward as updates are no longer available via the Store. Users should check with app publishers if they have questions.
  3. The reinstallation of apps will no longer be possible. If a user removes an app from the phone it will not be possible for such an app to be restored. This includes phone reset as well as the use of the Windows Device Recovery Tool (WDRT) where apps are deleted or removed. Users should take this into consideration before choosing to reset the phone or use WDRT on or after December 16, 2019.

The company has also mentioned that some models can be updated to Windows 10 Mobile which is already out of support but the store is functional in Windows 10 Mobile. The list of devices eligible for Windows 10 Mobile update is given below,

    • Microsoft Lumia 430
    • Microsoft Lumia 435
    • Microsoft Lumia 532
    • Microsoft Lumia 535
    • Microsoft Lumia 540
    • Nokia Lumia 635 (only 1GB RAM variant)
    • Nokia Lumia 636
    • Nokia Lumia 638
    • Microsoft Lumia 640
    • Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
    • Nokia Lumia 730
    • Nokia Lumia 735
    • Nokia Lumia 830
    • Nokia Lumia 929
    • Nokia Lumia Icon
    • Nokia Lumia 930
    • Nokia Lumia 1520

So, now we think it’s time for you to switch to a different operating system of your choice to stay connected to the world using a smartphone.

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