Facebook, Messenger To Become Obsolete To Some Windows, iOS And Android Users Next Week

Facebook could be giving up on the Windows Phone 8.1 version of Facebook Messenger later this month. A new report is saying that the Mark Zuckerberg-owned social network intends to deprecate the instant messaging service and software application on the said Windows Phone OS. Not only that, even older versions of the instant messaging app on Android and iOS are also bouned to become unusuable.

This Sunday, Neowin learned from Italian site Aggiornamenti Lumia that Facebook is going to move the Windows Phone 8.1 version of Messenger to deprecated status by the end of this month. What this means is the app would be obsolete and would not be useable anymore. The only way for users to ensure that their use of the app would be uninterrupted is to update to the latest Windows Phone OS if available, or to upgrade to a handset with the latest mobile operating system.

Some Windows Phone 8.1 users are already receiving emails about the major change on the Messenger app. In the email, Facebook is informing users that they will no longer be capable of sending or receiving messages through the Messenger app at the end of March. The email only mentions updating the app to the latest version on the Microsoft Store as the solution to the change.

As of press time, Aggiornamenti Lumia has updated its post to indicate that Facebook has already confirmed its move of deprecating the Messenger app. Unfortunately, the Italian site has also learned of the sad news that even the Facebook app is going to be obsolete on Windows Phone 8.1 as well.

Another big shocker comes from Facebook itself. The social media company has apparently announced in an official blog post that dated versions of the Facebook and Messenger apps will also lose support next week. Aside from Windows Phone users, Android and iOS consumers will also be affected by this move. Only Android users stuck with old OS versions like Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread are asked to update to the latest app version or access Facebook via mobile browsing if they wish to continue using the service. As for iOS users, Facebook for iPad version 26, Messenger version 8 and Facebook for iOS released in October 2011 and their earlier versions are bound to become obsolete.