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The October 2018 Update (AKA Windows 10 version 1809) will remove several features from Windows 10. As noted in a report from Neowin, Microsoft has published a list showing all the Windows 10 features that will soon be “removed or depreciated.” Let’s start the features that will be removed:
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- Business Scanning, also called Distributed Scan Management (DSM): We’re removing this secure scanning and scanner management capability – there are no devices that support this feature.
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- FontSmoothing setting in unattend.xml: The FontSmoothing setting let you specify the font antialiasing strategy to use across the system. We’ve changed Windows 10 to use ClearType by default, so we’re removing this setting as it is no longer necessary. If you include this setting in the unattend.xml file, it’ll be ignored.
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- Hologram app: We’ve replaced the Hologram app with the Mixed Reality Viewer. If you would like to create 3D word art, you can still do that in Paint 3D and view your art in VR or Hololens with the Mixed Reality Viewer.limpet.exe: We’re releasing the limpet.exe tool, used to access TPM for Azure connectivity, as open source.
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- Phone Companion When you update to Windows 10, version 1809, the Phone Companion app will be removed from your PC. Use the Phone page in the Settings app to sync your mobile phone with your PC. It includes all the Phone Companion features.
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- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) management console: The information previously available in the TPM management console is now available on the Device security page in the Windows Defender Security Center.
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- Future updates through Windows Embedded Developer Update for Windows Embedded Standard 8 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard: We’re no longer publishing new updates to the WEDU server. Instead, you may secure any new updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
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Next, there are a couple of features that will still be there in the October 2018 update, but Microsoft will no longer be actively developing them. The list includes the Windows 10 Snipping tool, a legacy desktop app that Microsoft intends to replace with its new Snip & Sketch UWP app. You can get more details below:
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- Companion device dynamic lock APIS: The companion device framework (CDF) APIs enable wearables and other devices to unlock a PC. In Windows 10, version 1709, we introduced Dynamic Lock, including an inbox method using Bluetooth to detect whether a user is present and lock or unlock the PC. Because of this, and because third party partners didn’t adopt the CDF method, we’re no longer developing CDF Dynamic Lock APIs.
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- OneSync service: The OneSync service synchronizes data for the Mail, Calendar, and People apps. We’ve added a sync engine to the Outlook app that provides the same synchronization.
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- Snipping Tool: The Snipping Tool is an application included in Windows 10 that is used to capture screenshots, either the full screen or a smaller, custom “snip” of the screen. In Windows 10, version 1809, we’re introducing a new universal app, Snip & Sketch, that provides the same screen snipping abilities, as well as additional features. You can launch Snip & Sketch directly and start a snip from there, or just press WIN + Shift + S. Snip & Sketch can also be launched from the “Screen snip” button in the Action Center. We’re no longer developing the Snipping Tool as a separate app but are instead consolidating its functionality into Snip & Sketch.
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Many of the features that are being removed or no longer developed should not come as a big deal for the majority of Windows 10 users. Last year, Microsoft made headlines by announcing that the legacy MS Paint app would be killed off with the Fall Creators Update, but a bad buzz eventually led the company to backtrack. Just like Paint, the legacy Snipping Tool still has its fans and Microsoft is right not to force Windows 10 users to a new UWP solution. Otherwise, the upcoming October 2018 Update will bring some exciting new features such as the new Cloud Clipboard and Your Phone app, and we’ll have more to share when it starts rolling out in the coming weeks.
\n\nFurther reading: Microsoft, Windows 10, Windows 10 October 2018 Update