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PayPal ends app support for Amazon Fire, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices

Flailing platforms lose more app support

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Paypal ends support for apps on waning mobile platforms
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PayPal is to discontinue its apps for Amazon Fire, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices.

The company will force all its Android and iOS users to update their apps on 30 June to the latest version, which boasts "enhanced features and a new look and feel".

Amazon Fire, BlackBerry and Windows Phone users won't have the option to upgrade as PayPal announced that its app for these platforms will be discontinued on the same day. 

The firm didn't give much of an explanation, but Joanna Lambert, PayPal's VP of consumer product, said in a blog post that it's the right thing to do to enable the firm to "invest resources in creating the very best experiences for customers".

"We remain committed to partnering with mobile device providers, and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our customers," Lambert added.

It's not all doom and gloom. PayPal pointed out that, while a native app will no longer be available, affected users will still have full access to PayPal's mobile website for account management and money transactions.

What's more, BlackBerry users will still be able to send peer-to-peer payments with PayPal through BBM, while Windows Phone users can still enable the PayPal add-in to send payments from the email app.

High-profile apps shuttering on BlackBerry and Windows Phone is nothing new, especially considering the latest figures from Gartner showing that the operating systems command just 0.2 and 0.7 per cent of global smartphone sales respectively. However, PayPal's is the first big-name app to give up hope on Amazon's proprietary Fire OS. 

WhatsApp announced last month that it will stop supporting BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone 7.1. This didn't go down well with BlackBerry users, who launched an online petition to fight the decision. 

PayPal made headlines earlier this week after it was revealed that the firm has blocked users with the word 'isis' in their address, as discovered by a resident of Isis Close who was unable to buy a sewing kit on eBay.

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