Streamlining the photo experience, some Lumia applications discontinued

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Well, I did tell you - many of the previous 'Lumia' functions and applications are being subsumed within Windows 10 Mobile Photos and Camera. And while there's still no definitive answer about Lumia Camera availability (my guess is that it will still be available for the top end devices as an option), we now have info from Microsoft about many of the other image-related utilities. See the quote below.

From Conversations today:

When the Nokia Devices & Services business joined Microsoft last year, we began working on a unified Camera and Photos experience that combines the best ideas and innovations from both companies. In order to sharpen our focus on our core Windows 10 Camera and Photo apps, we are ending support for some Lumia apps. These apps won’t be removed from your devices, but they’ll no longer be available from the Windows Phone Store (with immediate effect), and after October 30, 2015, online services and updates for these apps will end.

What apps will be affected?

Lumia Storyteller, Lumia Beamer, Photobeamer, and Lumia Refocus will no longer have online services available, and they will no longer be updated after October 30, 2015.

Lumia Panorama and Video Uploader will continue to work if you have them, but they will no longer receive updates or support.

None of these apps will be available in the Windows Phone Store with immediate effect, but if you already have them installed, they won’t be removed from your device.

There then follows advice on preserving content that you may already have created or uploaded:

How can I make sure I don’t lose my online stories I’ve created with Lumia Storyteller?

The stories you see in the Lumia Storyteller app on your phone won’t be affected and will continue to work within the app, but stories you’ve published on the “online stories” site will no longer be available from the web service after October 30, 2015. To keep the images and videos in your online stories, open the Storyteller app, select online stories, and view each published story on the web. Then from the website, download all the images and videos that you want to keep. Be sure to do this before October 30, 2015, when the website will no longer be available.

What will happen to Lumia Beamer and Photobeamer?

Lumia Beamer and Photobeamer services will stop working on October 30, 2015.

Of course, all of these utilities are very much sideshows to the core Camera and Photos experience. This is universal to all Windows 10 devices and quite impressive, though there's clearly work still to do for Camera in terms of compatibility with all hardware (or maybe Lumia Camera will be kept around for the 1020 and a couple of other special cases?) and in terms of joining all the dots with editing and sharing.

I'll stay on top of all this as the big changeover to Windows 10 Mobile gets ever closer!

Lumias

Source / Credit: Conversations