There is a narrative that the public rejected Windows Phone, but certainly in Europe it was more a case of Microsoft suddenly withdrawing their handsets from the market.

The OS managed to build up quite a user base before that fateful decision, but this is now rapidly withdrawing, and with that goes the apps which were so hard-fought for over the years.

HSBC France is the latest to add to the now torrent of apps leaving the platform, having sent this message to their subscribers on Windows Phones.

To manage your accounts, you downloaded the HSBC My Mobile Bank application to a Windows Phone. The services offered by Microsoft are evolving and their decision to abandon the support of their offer related to mobile phones leads us to review the perimeter of our Mobile application. As of February 2017, the HSBC application will no longer be available on mobiles

Windows. However, you will be able to continue to consult and manage your accounts on the Internet from your secure online bank. If you change mobile, we invite you to download the application HSBC My mobile bank available on Android phones and iOS. Our remote consultants and the team of your agency are at your disposal for any further information.

The letter certainly pulls no punches regarding who is to blame for the decision, and given that it seems with Windows on ARM even Windows 10 Mobile may be another transitionary platform Microsoft’s next phone offering will likely need to blow people out of the water before the masses will consider investing again.