Microsoft has announced it would stop accepting new apps for Windows 8 from October 31 in an attempt to redirect the focus of app developers towards Windows 10.

Microsoft would stop delivering Windows 8-based phone and device app updates from July 2019 and 2023 respectively, Microsoft Store Team wrote in a blog post on Monday.

"After these dates, we will stop distributing app updates to Windows Phone 8.x or earlier and Windows 8 or 8.1 devices; at that time, updates will only be made available to customers using Windows 10 devices," the post added.

Even though the tech giant would put a halt to accepting new app submissions for Windows 8, the company claimed that this would not affect existing apps based on the earlier Windows version.

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"We encourage you to explore how you can port your existing app to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) where you can create a single Windows 10 app package that your customers can install onto all device families," the post added.

Last year, Microsoft had admitted that it had blocked Windows 7 and 8 updates on Intel's seventh generation Core i3, i5, Qualcomm's 8996 and other processors to "force" users to upgrade to Windows 10. (IANS)