Facebook last month announced that it pulling out support for Windows Phone 8.1 and some other dated platforms as well, and it turns out that the company has already started putting restrictions in place for numerous users.
According to a report from Italian site Aggiornamenti Lumia, some users who are running Windows Phone 8.1 are seeing an error message when launching the Messenger app. The message informs them about Facebook’s decision to abandon support for their platforms and recommending to upgrade their devices or switch to the browser to use Facebook.
“Thank you for using the Facebook app. Starting March 29, Messenger no longer supports the version of the operating system you are running. To continue using the messaging service, you need to install the newest version of the app,” the message displayed to users reads, with a link pointing to the Windows 10 Mobile app in the Store.
Currently the restriction is only applied to certain users but the block will most likely be taking place in stages. All Windows Phone 8.1 users are expected to be prompted to upgrade by Facebook in the coming days. Facebook’s decision to pull support for old platforms is not surprising, since the platform doesn’t have a huge user base. But the point of concern here is that the Windows Phone 8.1 is actually the top mobile version for Microsoft’s operating system, with Windows 10 Mobile still very far behind in terms of adoption.
Windows Mobile 10 is currently available on 50 per cent of the Windows devices running Phone 8.1, making it difficult for users with non-compatible device users to switch to latest Facebook app. However these users can switch to their mobile browser to access their Facebook account.
