Microsoft is killing its free Visio Diagram Viewer app on iOS

Microsoft is abandoning the app that lets you view Visio diagrams and flowcharts for free on iOS.

As The Register reports(Opens in a new window)Microsoft announced in a Tech Community post on Monday(Opens in a new window) that the free Microsoft Visio Viewer application(Opens in a new window) The product, currently available in the App Store, will be “retired and removed” on August 14.

The app will still work after that time for those who already have it installed, but Microsoft says it will break over time due to integration with services like OneDrive and SharePoint. It will not be possible to reinstall either.

The app allows iOS users to view, interact with, and share their Visio diagrams on iPhone or iPad. This is a useful application for when someone sends you a Visio file as an e-mail attachment, for example, or for anyone who needs to view such files but not create or modify them. Not surprisingly, the app has a high score of 4.5/5 in the App Store.

So why is Microsoft killing it? Because the team is instead focusing on the Visio for the web experience, which lets you view Visio files for free, but jumps through some potentially unwanted hoops to make it work. As Microsoft explains(Opens in a new window) support page, to view Visio files for free, you must sign in to your Microsoft 365 account and upload the files to OneDrive.

Anyone who pays for a Microsoft 365 subscription can view and create Visio files through a web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari are also supported). There are also some premium Visio plans available that cost $5/month (Visio Plan 1) and $15/month (Visio Plan 2) and offer additional features beyond the 365 subscription. Microsoft compares versions(Opens in a new window) and features available on each.

iOS users seem to be losing the app and having a lot of trouble trying to get the same Visio diagram viewing experience that they currently enjoy.

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