Microsoft has removed a slew of third-party Snapchat alternatives from the Windows Phone, after the service announced it would start cracking down on unofficial apps in an effort to tighten security. Rudy Huyn, the developer of the popular alternative app, 6snap, confirmed on Twitter that his app, along with other similar alternatives, have been removed from the Windows Store.
In a blog post in November, the company said that while it “enjoyed the ways developers are trying to make the service better,” some developers had set up their apps in a way that put the security of the service’s users at risk. The app has been criticized several times by security researchers and developers, who claim that the company’s security is too lax and that user information is accessible through unofficial APIs. As part of a new effort to address these allegations, Windows Central reports that the company has also threatened to lock out the accounts of some users who use alternative third-party apps.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that the apps were removed at Snapchat’s request, following the company’s decision to disable APIs used by third-party apps across all platforms. Since there is no official Snapchat app in the Windows Phone store, their removal means that users of Microsoft’s operating system have no way to access the service from their phones.
