Facebook has withdrawn its four major social media and messaging apps – Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger – from the Tizen Store. These apps are no longer available for download from the store. Facebook has been notifying users of this development since June, so the news of this termination doesn’t come as a surprise. It also comes just after the shutdown of the Tizen Community website and the Community app.
WhatsApp was the most downloaded Tizen app ever since it arrived in the Tizen Store. That’s primarily because it was the only major instant messaging app available on Tizen-powered smartphones. Now that it’s gone, Tizen smartphone users have little choice when it comes to having a chat or making video calls with their friends and families.
Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger also consistently featured in the “top downloads” list over the years. However, with Tizen smartphones literally dead, Facebook expectedly sees to point in continuing to offer its apps in the Tizen Store. Worst yet, these apps no longer work even if you already have them installed on your Tizen phone.
WhatsApp and other Facebook apps removed from Tizen Store
Tizen OS powers many of Samsung’s electronic products such as televisions, home appliances, IoT devices, and smartwatches. However, Tizen never reached its full potential in the smartphone segment, mainly because of poor app support. Samsung was the only maker of Tizen devices and it failed to bring many of its own smartphone apps to the Tizen Store.
The company eventually stopped making Tizen smartphones in 2017, after only releasing four models – Samsung Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4. The Samsung Z4, which launched in May 2017, was the last model in the series. Over the past three years, Tizen powered smartphones have lost support for various apps and services, including Samsung’s own My Galaxy in early 2019. That pretty much signaled an official end of Tizen smartphones.
However, owing to their low prices and solid performance despite packing low-end hardware, Tizen smartphones sold pretty well in markets like India, Bangladesh, and South Africa, where many people still don’t have access to smartphones.
The removal of Facebook apps has got many such users worried. Tizen Help is reportedly receiving several queries from worried users about the situation. They demand that Samsung or Facebook should bring back all the apps to the Tizen Store. But that’s highly unlikely to happen, unfortunately. Neither Samsung nor Facebook will be willing to invest resources on Tizen smartphones any longer.