The fate of HERE Maps on Windows has been in limbo for a long time. The company used to be a Nokia subsidiary and a key component of Windows Phone 7 and 8. It has since been sold to a consortium of German car manufacturers though and is no longer directly affiliated with Windows devices and software.
Late last year, HERE Maps vanished from the Windows Store for a period of several weeks. The company claimed “technical issues” prevented it from listing its apps. The suite is now available to download again but will soon be gone forever. HERE has confirmed it intends to support only iOS and Android in the future with “critical” bug fixes the only updates to be delivered to Windows Phone 8.
Windows 10 is being hit even harder. The newest version of Microsoft’s platform will be dropped completely. Whereas the apps will continue to function normally on Windows Phone 8, they will be disabled completely on Windows 10 on June 30.
The apps are already in a buggy state on Windows 10 as they use older versions of Microsoft’s APIs. HERE has taken the decision to cease development for the minority platform, withdrawing from the store entirely to avoid shipping a broken product to users.
The company said in a statement that it is already using a “workaround” to run its apps on Windows 10. “In the last few months, we made the HERE apps compatible with Windows 10 by using a workaround that will no longer be effective after June 30, 2016,” HERE wrote online. “To continue offering the HERE apps for Windows 10 would require us to redevelop the apps from the ground up, a scenario that led to the business decision to remove our apps from the Windows 10 store.”
The situation will leave many Windows fans with a sour taste in the mouth. What started as a Windows Phone-exclusive application owned by Nokia is now abandoning its former home, moving away to the competition.
There is more to the story than meets the eye though. Although the apps won’t be available, the data will continue to live on with Windows. Microsoft will remain a key HERE customer, using the firm’s maps in the Windows Maps app that comes preinstalled on Windows 10.
WinBeta notes that this decision is likely a strategic move to make Windows Maps a more compelling product. Editor Zac Bowden, using unnamed sources, today hinted at a future Maps update that will presumably add more features from HERE, making the app the default place for navigation data on Windows. HERE Maps will become redundant.
There is some supporting evidence. HERE notes its workaround “will no longer be effective after June 30, 2016,” strongly implying that some external factor will break its apps on that date. It could be a coincidence but June 30 seems conveniently close to the expected launch time for Windows 10’s Redstone update, containing new features that could include improved mapping and navigation directions.
The fact that HERE will remain functional on Windows Phone 8, where the Windows Maps app won’t be updated, further suggests this speculation is on the right track. The pieces seem to fit together rather too well, hinting at a behind-the-scenes collaboration between Microsoft and HERE that ends up being mutually beneficial for both companies.
HERE Maps doesn’t have the consumer market share of services like Google Maps but it is a key player in the field. Its apps are particularly popular in Europe but people worldwide have likely encountered its products.
HERE generally licenses map data to companies such as Microsoft who then use the maps in their own apps. It powers embedded navigation systems and car satnavs, only using its first-party apps to retain a consumer presence.
iOS and Android users will be able to continue mapping with HERE beyond June 30. Windows Phone fans have just lost a key component of the platform’s history though as the former exclusive reorients and excludes its oldest users.
