Group chat function "Rooms" for Windows Phone is switched off
From March, it's already over: Microsoft is discontinuing the "Rooms" chat function in Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.1. The background to this appears to be the acquisition of the "Skype" service. It was acquired by Microsoft back in 2011 and runs on all common operating systems.
Only a short service life for platform-based chta functions
The "Rooms" chat function was only introduced with Windows Phone 8 at the end of 2012, and after just two years, Microsoft is now shutting it down again. The reason for this appears to be the company's move away from platform-based chat functions. Windows Live Messenger was discontinued at the end of October 2014, and now "Rooms" is being mothballed. However, the successor is already in the starting blocks: The messenger program "Skype" will run on Windows 10 for PCs, notebooks, smartphones and tablets. The VoIP provider and messenger, which Microsoft acquired from the Silver Lake investment group for a mere 8.5 million dollars, has a decisive advantage over "Rooms" and the like: it runs across platforms - i.e. also on devices that are iOS, Android or Mac OS X-based. This means that Skype can potentially reach a much larger user community.
Important: Back up your data now - before updating Windows 10
Anyone who has used the "Rooms" group chat function up to now would be well advised to back up the digital content they manage there in good time. You should definitely do this before updating to Windows 10 pre-release versions (e.g. for Lumia smartphones) - because the chat functions and content will already be gone. From March, users who continue to use Windows 8 or 8.1 will still be able to view and use personal data such as photo albums, notes and calendars on their smartphone after the service has been switched off. However, it will no longer be possible to open new chat rooms, nor will it be possible to make changes to the files themselves. According to Microsoft, important chat histories should now be copied and backed up, as they will no longer be displayed after the service is shut down.
Article image: Fotolia, 70084075, Oleksiy Mark,