Microsoft Advertising retires mobile app in January 2026

Microsoft announced the retirement of its mobile advertising application on November 24, 2025, according to email notifications sent to advertisers. The app will stop functioning in January 2026 and will be removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play in November 2025.

"As of January 2026, you'll no longer be able to use the Microsoft Advertising mobile app," according to the notification from the Microsoft Advertising Team. "While all of your existing campaigns will remain available in Microsoft Advertising, you'll no longer be able to create or manage campaigns in the app."

The email specified that the app removal from both major app stores will occur in November 2025. Users who have already installed the application may continue using it and receive security updates until the January 2026 retirement date.

The retirement eliminates mobile-specific functionality that advertisers have used since the app's initial release. The application provided performance monitoring for favorite campaigns, status and budget updates, notification management for automated rules and credit card expirations, side-by-side metric comparisons, and direct access to Microsoft Advertising support. These capabilities allowed advertisers to manage accounts from smartphones and tablets without accessing the full desktop interface.

Microsoft directs users to the web-based Microsoft Advertising interface for continued campaign management. The company has not announced a replacement mobile application or mobile-optimized web interface to address the functionality gap created by the retirement.

The application faced usability challenges that appeared in user feedback throughout 2025. Google Play reviews from July, October, and November 2025 documented issues with mobile interface design, navigation difficulties, and limited editing capabilities. One reviewer characterized the experience as "not designed for mobile use" with impossible page viewing even when side scrolling. Another noted the inability to edit campaigns despite claims of management functionality.

Microsoft maintained a 4.0 rating from 4,830 reviews on Google Play, with the app accumulating over 100,000 downloads. The application last received an update on July 17, 2025, which added Simplified Chinese language support and locale formatting. The company stated that some features remained unavailable for Smart Campaign customers.

The retirement comes as Microsoft consolidates its advertising infrastructure around AI-powered tools and web-based management interfaces. The company crossed $20 billion in annual advertising revenue in April 2025, with CEO Satya Nadella emphasizing transformation of search and browsing through Copilot as an AI-powered personal assistant.

Microsoft has introduced multiple web-based AI tools throughout 2025 to enhance campaign management capabilities. The company launched Performance Comparison tools and Image Animation features on November 17, 2025, extending Copilot's capabilities within the Microsoft Advertising Platform. These tools enable advertisers to analyze campaign performance and create video assets from static images without requiring separate mobile applications.

The retirement reflects broader shifts in how advertising platforms approach mobile functionality. Campaign automation tools from third-party verification providers have increasingly handled tasks previously requiring dedicated mobile apps. DoubleVerify expanded its Microsoft Advertising integration in October 2025 to include DV Campaign Automator, which manages campaign creation, tag implementation, and performance reporting through programmatic connections rather than mobile interfaces.

Microsoft's advertising platform developments in 2025 focused on consolidating management tools within the web interface. The company introduced enhanced website exclusion capabilities in August 2025, enabling advertisers to centrally manage exclusions across accounts and campaigns with bulk application to multiple campaigns simultaneously. The system allows up to 10,000 websites per exclusion list and up to 100 lists per account through the web platform.

Platform updates also addressed publisher requirements and measurement standards. Microsoft mandated Clarity installation for all third-party publishers in November 2025, filtering non-compliant traffic as nonbillable. This requirement emphasizes behavioral analytics integration through web-based tools rather than mobile app functionality.

The mobile app retirement aligns with Microsoft's strategy of building conversational, AI-powered advertising experiences accessible through browsers rather than platform-specific applications. Research from August 2025 demonstrated that Microsoft Copilot achieved 73% higher click-through rates compared to traditional search advertising, with customer journeys through Copilot 33% shorter than conventional search paths.

Advertisers managing campaigns across multiple platforms may face operational adjustments following the mobile app retirement. The web interface provides full campaign management capabilities but requires browser access rather than native mobile functionality. Microsoft has not disclosed whether mobile-optimized web features will compensate for the lost native app experience.

The notification recommended that advertisers visit the Microsoft Advertising web platform to create and manage campaigns, view campaign performance, and access additional tools. The company specified that existing campaigns would remain unaffected by the retirement, with all campaign data accessible through the web interface.

Industry observers noted that the retirement follows Microsoft's discontinuation of Microsoft Invest (formerly Xandr), announced in May 2025 with an effective date of February 28, 2026. Corporate Vice President Kya Sainsbury-Carter cited incompatibility between traditional demand-side platform models and Microsoft's vision for conversational, personalized, and agentic advertising futures.

The mobile app supported multiple features designed for on-the-go campaign management. Advertisers could monitor favorite campaigns and retrieve performance data, quickly update campaign status, budgets, and bids, receive notifications about automated rule execution and credit card expiration, visualize account and ad performance with side-by-side metric comparisons, and contact Microsoft Advertising support directly through the app.

For the marketing community, the retirement signals continued industry movement toward unified web-based platforms rather than fragmented mobile applications. Advertisers who relied on mobile functionality for quick campaign adjustments or performance monitoring will need to adapt workflows to browser-based access or implement third-party campaign management tools that integrate with Microsoft Advertising's API.

The app's removal from stores in November 2025 provides a one-month window before the January 2026 complete shutdown. Microsoft specified that users with existing installations could continue receiving security updates until the final retirement date, though no new feature development would occur during this transition period.

Timeline

• July 17, 2025: Microsoft Advertising mobile app receives final update with Simplified Chinese language support
• August 7, 2025: Microsoft Advertising unveils major Performance Max and ad tool updates including brand exclusions and AI-powered content recommendations
• August 19, 2025: Microsoft Copilot achieves 73% higher click-through rates in advertising study
• November 11, 2025: Microsoft Advertising requires Clarity for third-party publishers
• November 17, 2025: Microsoft adds image animation and performance tracking to Copilot AI tools
• November 24, 2025: Microsoft announces mobile app retirement via email notifications
• November 2025: Microsoft Advertising mobile app removed from Apple App Store and Google Play
• January 2026: Microsoft Advertising mobile app ceases functioning completely

Summary

Who: Microsoft Advertising announced the retirement affecting all users of its mobile application across iOS and Android platforms.

What: The Microsoft Advertising mobile app will be removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play in November 2025, with complete functionality termination in January 2026. Users who already have the app installed may continue using it and receive security updates until the January retirement date. All campaign data remains accessible through the web-based Microsoft Advertising interface.

When: Microsoft sent email notifications on November 24, 2025. The app removal from stores occurs in November 2025, with final retirement in January 2026.

Where: The retirement affects the mobile application available on both Apple App Store and Google Play globally. Users should access Microsoft Advertising through the web interface at microsoft.com/advertising.

Why: Microsoft is consolidating campaign management capabilities within its web-based platform as part of its broader strategy to build AI-powered, conversational advertising experiences through Copilot and other web-based tools. The company has invested heavily in web interface enhancements throughout 2025 while the mobile app faced usability challenges documented in user reviews.