7 Useful Products that Got the Axe, Will Be Sorely Missed (Or Not)

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 23 Jun 2016

As I’ve said several times before, the tech and software world is constantly changing and evolving. While new products hit the market hoping to make it big, other products get the axe – discontinued, retired, or shut down.

This is the case with the 7 products presented below. They are a thing of the past. And if they haven’t already been discontinued, they will be soon.

1. PayPal for everything other than iOS and Android



PayPal upgraded its mobile app to version 6.0, giving it enhanced features and a new look & feel. Great news, right? It is if you have an iPhone or Android. If you don’t, it’s terrible news. Come June 30, PayPal will sunset its app for Windows Phone, Blackberry 10, and Amazon Fire.

After June 30 you won’t be able to use the PayPal app if you have something other than an iPhone or Android. You’ll only be able to use the PayPal’s mobile website.

"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," said Joanna Lambert, Vice President of Global Consumer Product and Engineering at PayPal.


2. Facebook’s Notify app for iOS



Remember the Notify app that Facebook introduced back in November 2015? Yeah, me neither. Whether you’re familiar with Notify or not doesn’t really matter anymore, because Facebook shut it down earlier this month. A mere 7 months after its launch, Facebook’s Notify app was given the axe. Tough!


3. Photos synced from your phone to Facebook



While Facebook is pulling the plug on some of its apps, it’s shoving others down your throat. Case in point, the Moments photo sharing app.

Earlier this month, Facebook announced that if you want to keep the photos you synced from your phone to Facebook, you have to get the Moments app and log in before July 7. If you don’t want to get the Moments app, you must download your photos from your Facebook profile to a computer. Otherwise, your photos will be deleted.


4. Amazon for Windows Phone



If you already have Amazon’s mobile app on your Windows Phone, that’s great. If you don’t and you want to get it, I have some bad news for you: Amazon pulled the app from the Windows Store. Amazon did this earlier this month, without any notice.


5. Yahoo! Messenger application for desktop



Yahoo! Messenger, the application that hasn’t gotten an update for years now, is finally getting put to sleep. Yahoo! recently announced that it will no longer support the legacy product as of August 5, 2016.

If you still want to use Yahoo! Messenger, you have to switch to the new Yahoo! Messenger app for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac, use the new Yahoo! Messenger for web, or use the Yahoo! Messenger that’s built into Yahoo! Mail for desktop.


6. So long BitTorrent Sync, hello Resilio Sync



Sync, BitTorrent’s cloudless sync tool that can transfer data from one device to another without having to upload it to the cloud or a 3rd party server first, isn’t going away. It is getting a change of name though.

Earlier this month, BitTorrent announced that Sync is spinning off into a new company called Resilio, to be led by BitTorrent’s former CEO Eric Klinker. So Sync isn’t actually going away, it’s just getting a new name and new leadership.

With Sync gone, BitTorrent will focus on "building a global consumer media platform, which utilizes the BitTorrent protocol to enable creators to monetize their art and distribute their work to our global network of 200 million fans.”


7. So long Rhapsody, hello Napster



Rhapsody, the online music streaming service that acquired Napster back in 2011, recently announced that it will rebrand itself, changing its name from Rhapsody to Napster.

"No changes to your playlists, favorites, albums, and artists. Same music. Same service. Same price. 100% the music you love. Stay tuned!" said Rhapsody.



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