Get lost, Windows 10 and Phone fans: No maps HERE on Microsoft's OS

HERE, the mapping arm of Nokia that Microsoft didn't buy up when it acquired the Finnish manufacturer, has announced it's no longer going to be doing apps for Windows 10 and Phone devices.

"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," the firm said in a blog post.

"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. This means the HERE apps will no longer work on devices running Windows 10 mobile after June 30, 2016."

As a result of the decision, all HERE apps for the 10 and Phone operating systems will be removed from Microsoft's store on March 29. But if you're using a Windows Phone 8 handset, the HERE app will still be supported but not developed further.

This isn't to say that Windows Phone users will be bereft of the ability to find out where to go. Microsoft licenses a cut-down version of HERE, but without the bells and whistles that come with the full app.

HERE was formed by a merger between Nokia's Ovi mapping software and Navteq, which Nokia bought in 2007. Initially the firm had a very good relationship with Microsoft, but it's clear that's no longer the case.

It's not clear entirely what the problem is, as neither HERE or Microsoft have answered requests for information. It's thought that the current owners of HERE – BMW, Audi, and Daimler – want to concentrate on a mobile operating system that people are actually using. ®