Microsoft plans to shut down Windows 10 UWP app ad revenue platform

For a long time, there have been rumors that Microsoft has abandoned its UWP application platform, and advocates often deny it. According to recent media reports, Microsoft will close the Microsoft Ad Monetization revenue platform for Windows 10 UWP applications within 5 months. According to Microsoft, it will close the Microsoft Ad Monetization platform for Windows UWP applications on June 1, 2020.

The company wrote:

As of June 1, 2020, the Microsoft Ad Monetization platform for Windows UWP applications will be shut down. This decision was made primarily because we can no longer continue to maintain the product at its current level.

Precautions

• The advertising monetization service will continue to run until June 1, 2020. Between now and June 1, 2020, some poorly performing ad networks will be shut down.
• Until the closing date (that is, May 31, 2020), the developer income obtained through the platform will be paid according to the regular payment schedule.
• Historical data, including advertising performance data, will be available for download before June 8. All ad monetization pages (such as ad unit configuration and analysis pages) will be deleted after this date.
• Although this transition can be painful for developers who now rely on the Ad Monetization platform, we want to provide enough time to transition to another ad platform. Our recommendation is to start converting immediately by evaluating alternatives for monetizing ads for Windows apps.

Although Microsoft advises users to switch to other advertising platforms, few provide SDKs for UWP applications. This means that most applications will not be profitable. According to the company, it currently has about a billion Windows 10 users. However, the Microsoft Store and UWP application platforms are still stagnant.