Why Skype App Is Not Downloadable On Many Windows Mobile Phones, Some Android Handsets Anymore

It’s official! Skype is going to be available only on Windows-running handsets that received the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Hence, Windows phones that did not receive this update or are incapable of upgrading to the latest OS version will not be able to use Skype from now on.

As of this Sunday, it is already known that Skype support of 85 percent of Windows phones has already been terminated. Included in this percentage are handsets running Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile 1511 and below.

According to PhoneArena, unsupported devices may still download Skype using a direct link because the app is not downloadable via the Windows Store anymore. Unfortunately, they will only be able to use Skype for a few weeks before Microsoft makes the app entirely non-operational to them.

PhoneArena has learned that aside from Windows devices, Microsoft’s decision has also affected some Android users, since Android smartphones running Android 4.0.2 and older are now incapable of downloading and installing the Skype app.

As it moves forward with its plans for Skype, Microsoft is only allowing handsets that support Windows 10 Mobile 1607 — the Anniversary Update — to run Skype. As of late, only 14 percent of Windows-running phones users have the Windows 10 Mobile OS. Sadly, 9.5 percent of these devices are only upgradable to Windows 10 Mobile 1511, which is not going to have support for the Skype app soon.

What’s good about Windows 10 Mobile 1511, however, is that users can still upgrade the OS to version 1607 via the Windows Insider program. The downside is not all handsets have access to the Windows Insider program, as per MSPowerUser.

Smaller manufacturers of Windows smartphones also have the short end of the stick because their handsets do not have OS build higher than 1511. Thus, it is not surprising that as of today, 85 percent of Windows phone users no longer have access to the Skype app.

MSPowerUser predicts that Skype will not be the only one to bid goodbye to Windows phones with older OS. Cortana Beta, Xbox Music and other apps could also be inaccessible in the future should developers abandon support for older Windows devices. This is bound to happen unless Microsoft pushes its latest OS to most if not all Windows phones.