Nice try, Microsoft!

Ignacio Roda -

We have to say it, we love Windows Phone. It is probably the most intuitive mobile operating system (if you don’t believe it, try to give an Android phone, an iPhone and a Windows Phone to Granny). The UI is super nice, we believe Microsoft really changed some trends on graphic design for small screens.

But Windows Phone faced an important issue: the world didn’t want it. And because of that, we sadly have to say: Mobincube will stop supporting Windows Phone soon. Anyway, we will always be its friend.

Let us explain why we’ve taken this decision…

There are several reasons for Mobincube to stop supporting Windows Phone:

  • Microsoft seemed to unofficially discontinue Windows Phone when they didn’t even mention it during the last Build event in San Francisco.
  • Most of our publishers don’t really care about it.
  • Advertisers are not investing on Windows Phone, so it is pretty unprofitable to build apps with Mobincube and expect to earn money with the Windows Phone version. AdMob just announced that they will stop offering ads for Windows Phone.
  • Mobincube is planning to add some amazing features in order for you to create awesome apps. In most of the cases those features rely on third party tech providers who don’t work with Windows Phone. That makes things really hard to keep Mobincube compatible with all 3 platforms (Android, iOS and Windows Phone). So, what do you prefer: keep WP compatibility or be able to build amazing apps?

I published some apps on Windows marketplace, how will this affect my apps?

If you already published WP apps built with Mobincube, you will still be able to update them. Mobincube is deprecating WP compatibility, but not killing it. The button for publishing the WP version will still be available, but you will only use it at your own risk. Future functionalities added to Mobincube won’t work on Windows Phone versions and might even cause a crash in your app. Our support department won’t be able to help you in case you face issues with the WP version.

What’s the timeline?

From today, Mobincube stops telling the world that we are compatible with Windows Phone platforms, so new users shouldn’t expect their apps to work on that platform.

Our support team will offer their help if you have trouble with your WP version until the 31st of December of 2016. Kind of tricky though, since you should expect our team to be partying that day!

By the end of the 2nd quarter or 2017 (exact date not yet available), we might totally remove Windows Phone compatibility and you won’t find the button to publish the WP version.

Of course, in case Microsoft change its mind in the future and keeps betting on Windows OS for mobile devices, we will consider supporting it. Time will tell us.