Microsoft removes Facebook integration from Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone

Microsoft has removed the Facebook integration from Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone. With immediate effect, the operating systems no longer synchronize contact information with the servers of the social network, Microsoft says.

The Facebook integration is included in the People Hub of Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone and the functions no longer work immediately, according to a Microsoft support page. Existing contacts will remain, but the apps will no longer receive new information.

According to Microsoft, the move comes because Facebook has made a change to the Graph api, which Microsoft uses in Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone. Microsoft does not clarify what exactly that change is. Posting status updates, liking and responding to posts from the People hub also no longer works. Facebook integration was one of the spearheads of Windows Phone 7 when it was released in 2010.

Update, 21:31: Windows Phone 8.1 users don’t seem to be affected by the changes. This means that the changes apply to a small minority of Windows Phone users.