The Microsoft Store no longer has a Books category

Two years ago, Microsoft discontinued Groove Music. One year later, the Groove Music app for iOS and Android was also taken down. Now, the time has come for the Books category, which has been suddenly taken out of the Microsoft Store yesterday.

According to the official FAQ page for the Books category, those who previously purchased books from the Microsoft Store can keep reading them until July 2019. Although they will no longer be able to access their books starting in July, the customers who still have a valid payment method will get full refunds for all their Microsoft Store ebooks.

Those who pre-ordered books with delivery dates after April 2 will not be charged for the purchase and their pre-orders will be canceled. While Microsoft recommends to pre-order at another digital book store, there is an alternative solution for those who just want quick access to digital books from the Microsoft Store: apps. Right now, searching for "books" in the store returns 2,000 results. Obviously, some results are useless, but others — like NOOK's books and magazines or Audible's Audiobooks app — can be quite useful.

Have you ever purchased books from the Microsoft Store? Will you miss this category? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section.