Windows 10 Mobile has officially reached its end of life and is no longer supported, but in a surprising move, the software maker has decided to extend the life of Windows 10 Mobile by one month.

Microsoft on Friday quietly announced it had extended Windows 10 Mobile’s end-of-support date by about 30 days. Microsoft’s mobile OS was originally scheduled to fall out of “security support” on December 10, 2019.

According to updated documentation, Microsoft is now planning to end support for Windows 10 Mobile on January 14, 2020. After January, Microsoft will no longer deliver security patches for Windows 10 Mobile, which could lead to security issues and other problems for users who continue to run the OS after the end date.

“Windows 10 Mobile, version 1709 will reach end of service on January 14, 2020. Devices running Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates that contain protection from the latest security threats,” the updated document reads.

We don’t know why Microsoft has extended the support, but this move aligns Windows 10 Mobile end-of-life with Windows 7 SP1 EOL date.

One month extension is some good news for users running Windows 10 Mobile, but it’s not clear if another cumulative update will be released in January.

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Windows 10 Mobile, which is the last version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, won’t receive any updates going forward. You can still use Windows 10 Mobile and some apps including Office will continue to work, but more important apps such as WhatsApp will stop working in a few weeks.

Microsoft recommends users to switch to Android or iPhone where its apps are updated regularly with new features and improvements.

Microsoft has also confirmed that support for Windows 10 Mobile Office apps will end in January 2021.

“Because of the lack of security updates, we strongly recommend that if you wish to use Office on a phone you transition to the latest Microsoft Office apps on an iOS or Android phone,” Microsoft explains.

Some third-party apps will continue to run on Windows 10 Mobile, so you’ll be able to access Facebook and Instagram but some services like WhatsApp won’t work. It shouldn’t take too long before the majority of apps including third-party apps stop working.

In other words, you will need to switch to Android or iPhone, and another option is to install Windows 10 ARM.

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In a new announcement, Microsoft revealed that Office apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote may still receive security updates after support for Windows 10 Mobile ends.

Microsoft is planning to end support for Windows 10 Mobile Office apps on January 12 2021. Microsoft will also not help users or enterprises with technical assistance and support documents wouldn’t get any updates after this date.

Microsoft noted that Office suite will still work after Windows 10 Mobile support ends, but the apps will be pulled in January 2021. After January 2021, you won’t find Office apps in the Windows Phone Store and no security updates would be shipped.

Keep in mind, though, only devices where Office apps are already installed would be able to use them after January 2021.

“On that date, app users will no longer receive security updates, non-security hotfixes, free assisted support options or online technical content updates from Microsoft,” the company said.

The software giant recommends users to switch to Android and iOS where the apps are updated regularly.

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Windows 10 Mobile is still around, but the company is not adding any new features or making significant changes to the OS.

If you still hang around with a Windows Phone handset, a new vulnerability has been discovered that could allow an attacker to access your files and folders through the locked screen. Windows Phone market share dropped below 1% a few years ago, but there are still some holdouts using the platform and the vulnerability affects them.

The vulnerability has been reported by Yuval Ron, Amichai Shulman, and Eli Biham from Israel, and it has been acknowledged by Microsoft on its security platform.

According to the documentation, this vulnerability will allow the attacker to access the photo library and as well as modify or delete photos without establishing authentication to the system.

Fortunately, the vulnerability requires physical contact with the phone and Cortana assistance needs to be allowed on the lock screen. In other words, the vulnerability is not a big deal unless we’re talking about the victims of theft.

Microsoft says it will not address this vulnerability in Windows 10 Mobile but you can follow the following workaround to secure your handset:

• Open Cortana app.
• Tap on three horizontal bars to access the menu.
• Click Settings and turn off the lock screen access to Cortana when the device is locked.

“We reported this issue to Microsoft in December 2018, a year before the operating system’s end-of-life. After nine months of evaluations and analysis, they decided not to patch the vulnerability because of the “limited users of Windows 10 Mobile, the physical access requirement to reproduce this issue, and the difficulty in steps to reproduce,” the researchers said.

Researcher Yuval Ron has also published a video to demonstrate the vulnerability.

Windows 10 Mobile support ends on December 10, but it appears that the firm may not address any such complex vulnerabilities for apparent reasons.

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October 2019 patch for Windows 10 Mobile bumps the operating system to Build 15254.590 and it comes with a variety of security and unknown performance improvements.

Microsoft says the changes included in the cumulative update for Windows 10 version 1709 (PC) also applies to Windows 10 Mobile. That means security updates for Windows Shell, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Windows Kernel components are included in this patch.

Windows 10 Mobile support ends in December

As always, you can head to the Settings app and navigate to Windows Update to get this patch.

It’s worth noting that this could be the third last cumulative update for Windows 10 Mobile as the support for Microsoft’s mobile platform will officially end in December. The last update could be released on December 10 when Patch Tuesday takes place.

In 2020, Microsoft will stop updating Windows Phones and many popular apps will also stop functioning. Facebook and Instagram have already been pulled from Windows Phone stores, while WhatsApp for Windows Phone is expected to cease support in 2020.

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The update advances the system to Windows 10 Mobile Build 15254.587 (up from 15254.582) and it comes with the following security-related changes:

• Security update to Windows Kernel, Windows Media, Windows Storage and Filesystems, and Windows App Platform and Frameworks.

Windows 10 Mobile Build 15254.587 can be downloaded by checking for updates in the Settings > Update & Security > Phone update. According to support documentation, Windows 10 Mobile will stop receiving the cumulative updates in 2020. The last update could be shipped on December 10, 2019.

The company will stop releasing security and software updates in 2020, and it will also end technical support for the devices on December 10.

Microsoft says Windows Phone users can only create backups for settings and supported apps until March 10, 2020. In 2020, some services will stop working but you will be able to upload and restore photos from backups for some months or one year after Microsoft ends support for the OS in December.

You can keep using Windows Phones after December 10th or you can install Windows 10 ARM. The Redmond firm recommends users to start considering a switch to Android and iOS where Microsoft services are actively supported.

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Microsoft has just released the Windows 10 Mobile Cumulative Update for August. The security update brings Windows 10 Mobile Build 15254.582 (up from 15254.575) and as usual, there’s no proper changelog. According to support documentation, Microsoft has fixed security issues with Windows kernal, Windows apps, Windows graphics and the default browser Edge.

Windows 10 Mobile 15254.582 is rolling out to all phones currently running the Windows 10 Mobile 1709 branch and you can grab it by checking for updates in the Settings app.

As mentioned, Windows 10 Mobile support is coming to an end in December and while you can use your Windows Phone in 2020, several basic apps (both first and third-party) will stop working.

Facebook recently announced that it would be retiring WhatsApp for Windows phones later this year. The company has already started abandoning the platform by pulling Facebook and Instagram apps from the Microsoft Store for mobile.

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As always, Microsoft hasn’t published a proper changelog for Windows 10 Mobile’s June 2019 patches, but the update apparently includes the general security fixes. As the update is mainly composed of minor fixes and security patches, the changes could apply to the following components:

• Microsoft Edge.
• Windows Graphics, Windows Kernal and Windows apps.

Support for Windows 10 Mobile version 1703 ends today

Support for the original Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update (version 1703) is ending today. It means Windows Phones such as Microsoft Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640 XL will stop receiving the monthly cumulative releases.

If you’ve got a handset with Windows 10 Mobile version 1703, the Build 15063.1868 is likely to be the last update for you.

As per Microsoft’s Windows lifecycle factsheet, Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update branch has now reached its official End Of Support. Going forward, Microsoft will only update Windows 10 Mobile version 1709 handsets such as the Lumia 950, Lumia 650 and others.

It’s also worth noting that support for Windows 10 Mobile version 1709 will end in December 2019 and no new monthly updates will be released to any Windows Phone device in 2020.

Remember that developers are working on desktop-based Windows 10 Mobile Shell and it could give a new life to your flagship Windows Phones.

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After the latest beta update, WhatsApp shows a notification to remind users that support for the messaging app is ending soon. The reminder recommends users to switch to a supported phone such as Android or iOS to continue using the platform.

“Microsoft has ended support for Windows Phone. As a consequence, WhatsApp will stop working on this phone after 31-12-2019. Tap on ‘learn more’ to learn about switching to a supported phone,” the message reads.

The learn mode button opens WhatsApp FAQ page that states support for Windows Phone will end on December 31, 2019, and you won’t be able to use the messaging service unless you switch to a supported device.

WhatsApp is still maintaining its Windows Phone app as the company had recently released an update with a security fix for a vulnerability.

WhatsApp’s new Windows 10 app rumours

Reports recently claimed that Facebook is working on a new WhatsApp app for Windows 10 devices and the app is said to be built on UWP platform.

The reports of new UWP app from Facebook hasn’t been confirmed, so take this with a healthy dose of scepticism for now.

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Microsoft hasn’t revealed what has improved or fixed in this release, but it is likely to be the usual security fixes. The update may include security fixes for Microsoft Edge, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Kernel, Windows App Platform and Frameworks and Microsoft Graphics Component.

As mentioned, the Fall Creators Update is receiving Build 15254.566 (up from Build 15254.562. On the other hand, Creators Update is getting Build 15063.1805 (up from Build 15063.1747).

Apps to go dark as Windows Phone’s end approaches

In related news, Facebook recently announced that WhatsApp for Windows phones is set to go dark as well after Instagram and Messenger.

WhatsApp has confirmed that its Windows Phones app will be discontinued on December 31.

Like Microsoft, WhatsApp also recommends users to switch to a supported operating system for continued support.

Microsoft is getting ready to pull support for Windows 10 Mobile version 1703 in June 2019 and support for the last version of the operating system will end in December 2019.

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