With the release of the Fall Creators Update, Windows 10 has become arguably better. The OS has got better, the design language has got an overhaul and users are (mostly) happy. While the app situation is still terrible, Microsoft is doing a good job with it’s own set of apps.
Barring Groove, Microsoft has been providing feature updates to most of it’s apps. But for some time, if noticed, the inbox apps for Windows 10 Mobile has become sparse. Sure, the important ones get an update once a while, but what about the ones like Calculator, Voice Recorder, People etc. ?
While the PC versions of most of the inbox apps have been updated with Fluent Design support, the Mobile versions have not. Also, as noticed first by the folks over at Aggiornamentilumia, Microsoft has stopped compiling apps for ARM, the recent example being Windows Maps.
What does this mean for me?
Nothing. You would still get to use your phone as it is, just forget about getting new app updates. A glaring example of the dire situation is the Photos app. The last update for the Photos app for Windows 10 Mobile was months ago. While the PC version has cool new editing features, the Mobile version is still a buggy mess.
The latest example, Windows Maps has been another story. The Maps app on Windows 10 Mobile has always been riddled with bugs. Each update has fixed a bug and broke a feature. The Feedback Hub is riddled with reports of Maps and GPS being broken.
As spotted, Microsoft has recently compiled a new version of the Maps app. Strangely the app has been compiled for Windows 10 builds 16299 and above. While Windows 10 PC is on 16299 and above, Windows 10 Mobile is still stuck on 15254 and below builds.
The app update, if pushed out, will certainly not come to Windows 10 Mobile, and will be a big blow for sure.
Apps on Windows 10 Mobile, dead?
Kind of. While you should not hold your hopes for any more new feature updates, bug fixes should and will come. A few apps like, Groove, Movies & TV, Store and Outlook get regular updates and are almost on par with their PC counterparts. The other apps like Photos, People, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Alarms & Clocks, are however far behind.
These apps haven’t received a single update since May 2017, while the PC ones got updates last week only. There’s no presence of Fluent Design in any of these apps on Mobile, and we expect that they’ll not receive them too.
Simply speaking, until there’s a major bug on one of the Mobile apps which haven’t been updated in months, Microsoft will leave them as it is. They have simple stopped compiling apps for ARM and we are sure, that the rest of Microsoft’s inbox apps will follow suite, soon.
With Microsoft’s upcoming take on Mobile, Andromeda, arriving soon, Windows 10 Mobile will be neglected more than ever. It looks like Microsoft, not happy by just declaring Windows 10 Mobile dead, plans to stop developing the Mobile versions of the inbox apps too. Maybe they are finally giving the cue to ditch the platform, and move on. To where? iOS and Android, the new Mobile heaven for the Mobile first, Cloud first Microsoft.
Sad times, really.
