Microsoft Lens reportedly shutting down later this year

Microsoft is reportedly preparing to discontinue its Microsoft Lens app.

The app, formerly called Office Lens, currently has over 50 million downloads on Google Play Store. But starting September, it will begin its shutdown process for both Android and iOS platforms.

Here’s the timeline according to a report from Bleeping Computer:

• Mid-September: Phase-out begins
• Mid-October: New downloads will be disabled on Google Play Store and the App Store
• Mid-November: App will be removed from both stores
• December: Microsoft will block all new scans for existing users

If the app is still installed, users’ saved scans in the ‘MyScans’ folder will remain, but the feature won’t get any support moving forward. Microsoft recommends using the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, which has similar scanning features.

Files saved to OneDrive can also be accessed through the Copilot app’s MyCreations section.

Nowadays, phone makers have been integrating document scanning to their built-in apps. So, it makes sense for apps like Microsoft Lens to lose their essence. Still, it’s quite a loss for other devices that don’t have such built-in features, especially the older ones.

For those looking for alternatives, options like Adobe Scan, Abbyy FineReader PDF, or Genius Scan are still available.

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