PayPal next month will launch a new mobile app for its iOS and Android users, but anyone using the PayPal app designed for Windows Phone, BlackBerry or the Amazon Fire handset is out of luck.
The San Jose, Calif.-based company on June 30 will cut support for apps on outlier platforms, narrowing its focus to just iOS and Android mobile operating systems, the company said.
Users of the discontinued apps may still access PayPal through mobile Web browsers, PayPal said in a May 25
“It was a difficult decision to 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,” said Joanna Lambert, PayPal’s vice president of consumer product and engineering, on PayPal’s blog.
Microsoft on the same day announced a broad pull-back on its mobile phone business, including plans to lay off hundreds of employees involved in its smartphone operation, as the company cuts losses on its purchase of Nokia. Microsoft paid $7.2 billion to acquire the Finland-based phone maker in a deal announced in 2013.
Beginning on June 3, PayPal is upgrading iOS and Android users to the latest version of its app, 6.0, which is supported by Android 4.0.3 or higher and iOS 8.1 or higher. PayPal has retooled its features to send and request money, and to check balance and transaction history, the company said.
PayPal is making other tweaks to streamline operations and support. On June 25 PayPal will implement its new policy ending purchase protection for payments to
