Microsoft kicks Windows Phone 7 users in the nuts… again

There are still around 8-10 million Windows Phone 7 users, which is surprising considering how poorly Microsoft treated them, and the large number of alternatives available.

Now it seems Microsoft is determined to alienate them further, with Microsoft’s Skype deciding serving 10 million Windows Phone users was no longer worth the trouble.

The company has already unpublished their Windows phone 7 app, and has now posted on their support site that over the next few weeks they will no longer be able to sign in to Skype’s servers.

The company writes:

Is Skype for Windows Phone 7 being discontinued?

Yes. We want everyone to experience the best Skype has to offer – from enhanced quality to better reliability to improved security – and the newest version of Skype is the way to do that. So everyone can benefit from the latest improvements, we sometimes retire older versions of Skype across all platforms, including mobile devices. For that reason, we are permanently retiring all Skype apps for Windows Phone 7.
As a result, within the next few weeks, you’ll no longer be able to sign in and use Skype on any Windows Phone 7 device. You will still be able to use Skype on a variety of mobile platforms, including Windows Phone 8 or 8.1, but unfortunately, Skype will no longer be available in any form on Windows Phone 7.

If you have a subscription that you will no longer be able to use it and Skype suggests you may want to cancel it to avoid being billed in the future.

It is expected the move is due to Skype moving to a new architecture, and not feeling bothered enough to code a new app for a dying platform.

This attitude is of course common, but seeing it from Microsoft itself should set off alarm bells about promises for future support.

Are any of our readers affected by this move? Let us know below.