3 days ago
Top-rated app loved by millions to shut down as Microsoft reveals it's about to vanish from stores and stop working
Users say they are upset as popular app faces axe
APP'S OFF Top-rated app loved by millions to shut down as Microsoft reveals it's about to vanish from stores and stop working
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AN APP that has been used by millions is being ditched.
It will be phased out in just a few weeks.
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The app, which can turn documents and whiteboards into shareable files, is on the way out
The Lens PDF scanner has long been popular as it can quickly turn documents and whiteboards into shareable files.
That, however, has not been enough to save it from being dumped by Microsoft.
It will be retired on Android and iOS later this year.
It comes as two popular apps used by millions of mobile users also shut down earlier this month.
The scrapping of Lens PDF scanner, one of Microsoft's most popular mobile utilities, has caught many users by surprise.
One wrote on Android Authority's messageboard: "Well that's a dumb idea, it's the only useful Microsoft app aside from outlook, and it's the only one that functions without issue (especially when considering outlook).
Another posted on the same board: "Very sad. That was a great app."
Timetable for dumping
Microsoft has reportedly announced that the phase-out will start in mid-September 2025.
At this point, the new installs from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store will be disabled.
The app will disappear from both stores by mid-November.
Users will then be unable to create new scans entirely after December 15, as first reported by Bleeping Computer.
Existing scans will remain viewable in the MyScans folder after the cutoff date.
There is a silver lining, though.
Microsoft is nudging people toward its Microsoft 365 Copilot app instead.
That app offers many of Lens's core features, though it reportedly lacks some popular extras.
Lens's demise is part of a broader Microsoft effort to upgrade its apps.
In recent months, the company has, among other initiatives, announced the end of Microsoft Publisher in 2026.
I paid £20 for Tinder and can't stand little-known loophole desperate guys use
It has also scrapped Paint 3D from the Microsoft Store.
Subscriptions stopped
Mobile apps Pocket and Glitch also closed this month.
Pocket was removed from app stores in late May, when sales of subscriptions also stopped.
But Pocket's Premium subscribers may be owed refunds for the remaining time left on their subscriptions.
A subscription for the read-it-later app costs $4.99 per month or $44.99 (£32.99) per year.
So if you paid for an annual membership that will not be fulfilled, you should expect some money to be deposited back onto the card you used for payments.
Mozilla, which owns the app, said annual subscribers will receive their refunds after 8 July.
No action is necessary - just wait for the money to land.
It's worth noting that while the app shut down this month, users have until October 8 to download their saved data before all Pocket data is permanently deleted.
The Glitch app, aimed at web developers, is also handing out refunds to its subscribers.
Those who forked out $96 (£70) for an annual Glitch Pro subscription and have paid time left will receive a refund.
Users have until the end of the year to download their projects before all the data is wiped for good.
