Windows Phone

Windows Phone is a discontinued hardware and software platform for phones made to compete with Android and iOS, and founded by Microsoft in 2010 with the release of Windows Phone 7. Windows Phone is the successor of Windows Mobile and Pocket PC. Microsoft licensed Windows Phone to OEMs, such as HP, HTC or Samsung to make devices with it, but the major manufacturer was Nokia (which got later absorbed into Microsoft and phones from 2014 and on were released under the Microsoft brand).

First version of Windows Phone - Windows Phone 7 was based on the Windows CE kernel instead of the Windows NT kernel used in desktop Windows.

The last version of Windows Phone to be released was Windows 10 Mobile in 2015, with major support stopped in 2017 and security updates stopped in 2020 along with Windows 7.

Windows Phone included features and apps from the Microsoft ecosystem, such as Office, Cortana, XBOX Live, Zune (XBOX Music), Skype, OneDrive and the Windows Store (now Microsoft Store). Most of these features are deprecated and as of August 2026 the Windows Store no longer works on Windows Phone 8.1, but still partially functions on Windows 10 Mobile.

Windows Phone 7 to 8 upgrade controversy

With Windows Phone 8 in 2012, the Windows NT kernel was introduced on Windows Phones, meaning broader opportunities for developing apps and SDKs and to bridge the gap from WP to normal Windows.

The new kernel left many if not all Windows Phone 7 devices not being able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8, even though they were capable on paper. This caused massive outrage, and as an apology Microsoft made Windows Phone 7.8, a Windows Phone 7 update that adds Windows Phone 8 features on top.