The Curious Case of Disappearing Apps On Windows Store: TeamViewer And Opera Mini Disappear
The Windows store, Microsoft’s attempt at replicating Google’s fabled Play Store ever since its inception has received widespread criticism from its users. Mainly because of its lack of support for popular 3rd party apps from independent developers. Recently, even some larger developers have pulled out their apps from the Windows store or discontinued their support for the platform. Bank of America being one of the notable ones.
Headlining the story are the disappearances of TeamViewer and Opera Mini Beta apps. However, it’s not all gloom and doom for Windows phone users. The latest version 10 of Windows is slated for release and the disappearance of the apps may be attributed to the developers addressing complains that their latest version had on the existing Windows 8 platform. These include the app crashing and slow performance; as many reviews have pointed out. Speculations are ripe that the developers are working on a universal version for the new Windows 10 platform for Desktop and mobile.
@MLpzS The TeamViewer app should be back soon in the store. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Regards, Julia
— TeamViewer Support (@TeamViewer_help) January 30, 2015
Opera Mini Beta too had a similar story. After making an appearance last September amidst much fanfare. The actual app itself was a disaster. Plagued by below par performance and crashing, the Opera Mini Beta was withdrawn from the Windows store. Sources say that the developers are working hard to shed the BETA tag, and a full-fledged release is on the cards. Here’s hoping the new year brings a change in fortune for Windows.