Windows 10 Mobile has been a dead platform for quite some time now, but the official end of support for the mobile OS is today, December 10, 2019. On this occasion, Microsoft is releasing a last cumulative update for the OS with the build 15254.600, which includes the usual security fixes that have been available with every monthly “Patch Tuesday” updates.
Since June, only handsets running Windows 10 Mobile, version 1709 were still receiving monthly security patches, though Microsoft did leave a noteworthy bug unpatched. Back in October, the company acknowledged a security vulnerability on Windows 10 Mobile that could allow strangers to bypass your lock screen to access your photo library, though this only applies if you’ve enabled Cortana on your lock screen. Anyway, Microsoft said at the time that it wasn’t going to fix this vulnerability, inviting users to disable Cortana on their lock screen instead.
Even though Windows 10 Mobile reaches end of support today, handsets should continue to work as usual for the time being. However, Microsoft explained that some features such as automatic backups and other backend services will stop working next year.
“After the end of support, automatic or manual creation of new device backups for settings and some applications will continue for 3 months, ending March 10, 2020. Some services including photo uploads and restoring a device from an existing device backup may continue to work for up to another 12 months from end of support,” Microsoft explained in a FAQ.
The situation is a bit unclear regarding the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 Mobile. “The Store may continue to work after the end of support date,” Microsoft explained in the FAQ, but it’s safe to expect that more apps will soon stop working or disappear from the Store. We already know that WhatsApp will stop working on Windows phones after December 31, and Microsoft announced last week that its Office Mobile apps for Windows 10 Mobile will be deprecated on January 12, 2021.
“With the Windows 10 Mobile OS end of support, we recommend that customers move to a supported Android or iOS device,” the company explained in the FAQ. Android is probably the better choice for Windows 10 users thanks to app such as Your Phone and the Microsoft Launcher. Truth be told, Android has more synergies with Windows 10 today than Windows 10 Mobile ever had, and the open nature of Android also makes it more similar to Windows in design.
Do you plan to keep using your Windows phone after the end of support, or have you already moved on to greener pastures? Let us know in the comments below.
