Kik Removed From Windows Store As Windows Phone OS’s Death Draws Near

It’s sad news day for Kik Messenger users on Windows Phone. The app is no longer available on the platform as it has bid goodbye and officially disappeared from the Windows Store.

On Thursday, MSPowerUser discovered that one of the first messaging apps on the Windows Phone OS is no longer present on the platform. The outlet was tipped by some users that the app actually went missing from the Windows Store at the end of November.

Kik’s decision to end support for Windows Phone shouldn’t come as a surprise however. The last time that an update was rolled out to the messaging app for Windows Phone was in 2016. The one before that was released in 2013, suggesting that the team behind it wasn’t that keen on providing regular updates for the Windows Phone version of the app. It’s also worth noting that download links to the Windows Phone app were removed from Kik’s website this past May.

According to MSPowerUser, the disappearance of Kik from the platform may not be consequential. implying that its small user base was the real reason behind it.

Prior to Kik, Facebook removed its Messenger’s support for Windows Phone 8.1 early this year. The company even sent notification emails to users, saying: “We regret to inform you that since the end of March, the app version you’re using is no longer supported and you can not send and receive messages,” as first reported by News.com.au.

With Kik’s disappearance from the Windows Phone OS, many users are thinking that it may finally be the right time to jump ship before the platform is completely dead. “The end of life for Windows Phone is really much closer than I realized. When Microsoft stopped development, I thought I could still get a good year out of my 950,” Disqus user TopCatDC commented on MSPowerUser’s article.

Two months ago, Microsoft Executive Joe Belfiore announced that Windows Phone is dead. He explained that what this means is they are no longer making Windows handsets or developing a newer version of the company’s software for mobile devices. So technically speaking, Windows Phone is still not dead but it is dying. He did not cite a specific reason why they reached this decision, but he did mention that they “tried very hard” to increase the popular apps for the Windows Phone platform by paying developers. Unfortunately, the apps were never published because of the very low user base of Windows Phone.

While Kik is no longer supporting Windows Phone, it very much alive in other platforms. In fact, it has rolled out updates to its Android and iOS apps. The company even said in the release notes for the updates that it is always “making updates to ensure the app is running smoothly as possible for our users.”