Windows Phone dead: Microsoft finally gives up on unloved operating system

'Volume of users is too low for most companies to invest'

Aatif Sulleyman

Monday 09 October 2017 18:11

A Microsoft delegate checks applications on a smartphone during the launch of the Windows 10 operating system in Kenya's capital Nairobi, July 29, 2015

(REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya)

Microsoft has finally given up on Windows Phone.

The company’s mobile platform has been floundering for several years, and the announcement will take very few people by surprise.

It came via Joe Belfiore, who confirmed the decision came down to a shortage of apps.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Show all 9

1/9How to improve your phone's battery life

How to improve your phone's battery life

Limit notifications

Notifications are incredibly useful, but they also drain battery life and not all of them are actually necessary. Switching off notifications for certain apps can help your phone’s stamina. On Android, head into Settings, hit Apps and select those you don’t need to be notified by. On iOS, go to Settings and then Notifications.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Disable auto-sync

Certain apps, such as email and social networks, constantly run in the background even when you’re not using them. This is so you see updated information and updates when you do open the apps, but the benefits can be offset by the amount of battery life auto-sync can eat up. On Android, you can turn off auto-sync by going to Settings, Accounts and hitting the menu button. On iOS, go to Settings, General and Background App Refresh. However, since auto-sync is genuinely useful, we’d recommend disabling it when you know you’re going to be running low on battery life, rather than switching it off all the time.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Switch off location services

GPS is a huge drain on your phone’s battery, as more and more apps use your location data to work out where you are, and shape your experience according to that information. Unless you’re using a Maps app, you can get by without it. To turn off GPS on Android, go to Settings and Location. On iOS, go to Settings, Privacy and Location Services.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Lower brightness

Your phone’s display is responsible for the biggest impact on your battery life, but it’s easy to limit how much energy it uses up. Auto-brightness is convenient, but often sets the screen brightness to a much higher level than it needs to be. Turning auto-brightness off, setting your display’s brightness to a lower level and adjusting it when you need to is much more sensible.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Uninstall apps you don’t need

Some apps drain more battery life than others, and it’s worth working out which ones you can do without. Facebook, for instance, is known to have a big impact on your phone’s battery, and you can eliminate this by deleting the app and using the social network in your web browser instead. On Android and iOS, you can see the apps and processes that are affecting your battery by going to Settings and Battery. From there, work out what you can delete or replace with a less-demanding alternative.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Cut your assistant off

Virtual assistants are becoming increasingly capable, and therefore increasingly important in tech companies’ eyes. Not all consumers share the enthusiasm of Google and Apple though, and rarely - if ever - use Google Assistant and Siri. Whether you use them or not, by default the two assistants are always listening out for their trigger words, and this uses up battery life. On Android, you can switch this off by going to Settings, Google, Search, Voice and “Ok Google” detection. On iOS, go to Settings, Siri and Allow “Hey Siri”.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Stop vibrating

Vibrate is a great middle-ground between a potentially disruptive ringtone and total, uncertain silence, but it also uses up the most battery life of the three options. You can go a step further by also disabling tap feedback, which can be reassuring, but is ultimately unnecessary.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Turn off connections

If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, switch your mobile data off, and vice versa. Similarly, remember to turn off Bluetooth and NFC when you’re not using them.

How to improve your phone's battery life

Airplane mode

Airplane mode isn’t just for when you’re on an aeroplane. If you know you’re not going to have or won’t need signal or a Wi-Fi connection for a good amount of time, it’s worth enabling Airplane mode. Otherwise, your phone will use up battery life by pointlessly trying to connect to a network.

“Of course we'll continue to support the platform.. bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/[hardware] aren't the focus,” he wrote over the weekend.

“We have tried VERY HARD to [incentivise] app devs. Paid money.. wrote apps 4 them.. but volume of users is too low for most companies to invest.”

A crippling shortage of popular apps has always been Windows Phone’s biggest problem, and Microsoft never managed to address it.

The software’s user interface was vastly different to those of Android and iOS, and widely praised, as were many of the handsets Nokia built for the platform.

However, they could never make up for the app problem.

Mr Belfiore also admitted to switching from Windows Phone to a rival mobile platform. Bill Gates recently did the same thing, choosing Android over the iPhone.

That said, Windows Phone still has some fans, and Microsoft will continue rolling out security updates to keep them protected.

Join our new commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies