Readly shutting down its apps for Windows and Windows phone on February 27

Readly specializes in delivering digital versions of popular magazines via subscription for $9.99 a month, which includes their entire catalog. The company has a had an app for Windows and Windows phone since February 2015, but it is rather old and still for 8.1 systems and not using the features of Windows 10.

Nonetheless, the company is shutting down its Store apps on February 27 but just for Windows due to low interest. In an email going out to users, the company explains its by now familiar reasoning.

We are contacting you today to let you know that we've decided to close the Windows version of the Readly app. Unfortunately the number of customers using the Windows version doesn't motivate the effort for maintaining the app so going forward we've decided to work harder on developing our iOS/Android/Kindle apps and our web service instead.Fortunately you can still read your favourite magazines with the Readly apps for iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire devices which we will continue to develop and improve to give you the best user experience possible. If you don't have access to any of these devices our web service (https://go.readly.com) is your best alternative.The Readly Windows app will be maintained and fully operational until February 27th 2017. After this date, the app will not function any more and you should delete it from your Windows computer. First, log out of the app and then delete it. By doing this you will make Readly available on one more device (as you know, you can use Readly on up to five devices).

To be fair, we haven't given much exposure to Readly nor their service. While the digital age was supposed to usher in a new era with so many apps and services around it's a bit overwhelming even for consumers. Nonetheless, with the comparatively small user base for Windows mobile and the lack of a current UWP app going forward, it's understandable that Readly would make this decision.

Anyone here still using Readly - what are your plans going forward as an alternative?

Thanks, Steen, for the heads up

See Readly in the Windows Store

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.