Microsoft is hammering another nail in the coffin of Windows Phone by discontinuing support for several parts of the operating system. So if you're still using a smartphone running Windows Phone 7 or Windows Phone 8 then it's not going to be quite as smart from here on in.

Windows Phone is decidedly dead. We said goodbye in 2014, but Microsoft officially ended support in July 2017. And now, with every month that passes, the handful of people still using Windows Phone will find their favorite mobile operating system becoming more useless.

The End of Push Notifications

The latest nail in the coffin for Windows Phone is the end of push notification services. This means that your phone will no longer receive notifications, receive additional live tile updates, or offer the "Find my phone" feature for locating lost phones.

Microsoft is turning off these services for Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8.0. Which means they will continue to function on Windows Phone 8.1 "at this time," while phones running on Windows 10 Mobile are still supported and so aren't affected.

Microsoft explains today's change in a post on its Answers forum, explaining that "Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8.0 have reached their end of support dates, and thus services for these versions of Windows will be discontinued over time."

The message here is clear. If you own a smartphone running Windows Phone 7 or 8 then you really need to consider your life choices. Microsoft no longer supports these years-old operating systems, and are going to be removing features on a regular basis from now on.

How Badly Windows Phone Failed

If we're honest this isn't going to affect many people. Windows Phone has a market share of about 0.1 percent, and most of that will be represented by Windows Phone 8.1. Still, it's another reminder of just how poorly Windows Phone performed against Android and iOS.

Do you still own a Windows Phone handset? Is it still running on Windows Phone 7 or 8? Or have you at least upgraded it to Windows Phone 8.1? Why are you holding onto this outdated technology when Android and iOS exist? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Martin Abegglen via Flickr