A senior executive said the company has no plans to release new features or smartphones, closing a chapter for the computer giant.
Microsoft has released a variety of versions of its mobile phone operating system since 2000, the latest being Windows 10 Mobile in 2015. But beyond security updates there are no plans for new hardware or features for Windows Phone, according to Microsoft head of Windows Joe Belfiore.
"Of course we'll continue to support the platform.. bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features [and hardware] aren't the focus," said Belfiore.
Belfiore said the low uptake of the phones had caused a lack of support from app developers, which many have blamed for the failure of Microsoft's mobile line. He added that the company planned to bring features such as its Edge browser to Android phones.
With the smartphone market dominated by Google's Android operating system and Apple's iOS for iPhones, Windows-powered smartphones have consistently struggled to compete. Windows devices accounted for less than half of one percent of all new smartphone sales in the last quarter of 2016, according to Gartner.
The last phones developed by Microsoft were part of the Microsoft Lumia line. The company sold the licence rights to the Nokia products to Finnish company HMD in 2016. Microsoft took a £5bn hit on its mobile business in 2015 following its purchase of Nokia's smartphone division, cutting 7,800 jobs.
Microsoft's first mobile software was the turn of the century PocketPC 2000, which was later renamed Windows Mobile in 2003. This evolved into Windows Phone in 2010 and Windows 10 Mobile in 2015. In recent updates to its PC and tablet operating systems, Microsoft made no mention of its mobile phone software and dropped its "mobile first, cloud first" mantra.
A Microsoft spokesperson said it would continue to support its current line of Lumia phones and other Windows Phone handsets.
