Microsoft maintains a massive list of apps for the mobile operating systems Android and iOS. Microsoft Lens, one of the company’s highest-rated apps, is being discontinued. Microsoft announced the change in a message center note this week.
Microsoft Lens may be used to scan whiteboards and documents, including notes, receipts and more. It makes these readable digitally in PDF, Word, or Excel format, and supports printed and handwritten text.
The Android version has a rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 and more than 50 million downloads. The Apple version has also a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating, but less downloads and reviews.
The scanned data can be saved locally or uploaded to OneNote or OneDrive.
The timeline of the Microsoft Lens discontinuation:
- Mid-September 2025: New installs on Google Play or the Apple App Store are no longer permitted.
- Mid-November 2025: Microsoft will remove the apps from the respective stores.
- Mid-December 2025: New scans can no longer be created.
Microsoft notes that existing scans will remain available in the MyScans folder that the application creates during installation.
The company recommends switching to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, saying that it offers similar functionality. However, Microsoft Lens was free to use and without any ads. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app on the other hand may show ads, as revealed on the mobile stores.
Bleeping Computer reports that Microsoft plans to add some of the missing functionality to the Copilot app.
I am SO glad I left the Microsoft ecosystem. I was able to switch to Linux some years ago.
That’s not going to work because users prefer ChatGPT to CoPilot according to Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-24/chatgpt-vs-copilot-inside-the-openai-and-microsoft-rivalry
Trying to force users to switch to another app they don’t like is little more than an exercise in futility.