PayPal Update 2016: Payment Service To Focus Solely On iOS And Android [VIDEO]
It seems like PayPal has decided to focus its support solely on the world's most popular mobile OS, as the mobile payments giant announced that it would cease supporting devices running Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS and Fire OS starting June 30. From that point on, only iOS and Android devices would have a dedicated PayPal app.
Considering that Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS command a very smart market share among smartphone users, the decision shut down the apps for the operating systems is not very surprising at all. However, numerous users and analysts were surprised by PayPal's decision to stop its Fire OS app as well.
Fire OS, which is essentially a heavily-skinned version of Android, is the operating system utilized in Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets and the firm's largely unsuccessful Fire Phone. Apart from the fact that the core of Fire OS is Android itself, Amazon's Kindles have been largely successful as well, with millions of active users today.
Thus, it is quite surprising for a payments firm such as PayPal to simply pack up its bags and abandon Amazon's custom operating system, especially since its user base has largely not declined or stagnated in recent years at all.
Nevertheless, PayPal's decision is final. In a blog post on the company's website, PayPal's VP of consumer product Joanna Lambert stated that though the decision to cease the support for the three mobile operating systems was a difficult choice, it was necessary nonetheless.
"It was a difficult decision to no longer support the PayPal app on these mobile platforms, but we believe it's the right thing to ensure we are investing our resources in creating the very best experiences for our customers. We remain committed to partnering with mobile device providers, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers," she wrote.
All is not lost for Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS and Fire OS users, however, as Lambert stated that PayPal users could still access the payments firm's services through their devices' mobile browser. For one, BlackBerry OS users could still send peer-to-peer payments using BlackBerry Messenger, and Windows Phone users could still use the PayPal add-on found in the Microsoft Outlook app.
"As the digital payments landscape evolves, we will continue to innovate and make enhancements to PayPal's mobile experiences to give our customers the best possible ways to manage and move their money," Lambert assured.
