Microsoft's Paint 3D app shows up on Windows 10 Mobile (but you still can't have it)

In October, Microsoft unveiled Paint 3D, a modern Universal Windows Platform app intended as a replacement for the less-than-modern Paint application that shipped with older versions of Windows. The app officially launched as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update that Microsoft released in April, but so far, it's only been made available for PCs.

Shortly after its announcement last year, Microsoft confirmed that Paint 3D was coming to Windows 10 Mobile too - but at the time, Windows Insider Program chief Dona Sarkar said that the app was still in the alpha stage of its development. Microsoft has said nothing more about those plans since then, but you can now get a sense of what the app looks like on Windows 10 Mobile, thanks to a series of images published by Italian site Aggiornamenti Lumia.

Aggiornamenti Lumia tested the app on a Lumia 950 XL, and found it to offer identical functionality to the PC version - not entirely surprising, given that it's a UWP app. You can view more screenshots from the app in the gallery below.

However, it's far from clear if Microsoft still intends to release Paint 3D for Windows 10 Mobile. Given that nine months have now passed since the app was in alpha, it's odd that it hasn't even been released as a preview to Windows Insiders yet.

That said, Microsoft's work on Windows 10 Mobile itself has stagnated over the last few months, since it broke away development of the mobile OS from that of Windows 10 for other devices, splitting it into a separate 'feature2' development branch. The latest feature2 preview, build 15230, was released today with no new features - just like every other feature2 build so far.

Microsoft's commitment to the OS was further undermined this week, as it emailed LinkedIn users to inform them that it's discontinuing its LinkedIn app for Windows phones next month. The company told Windows phone users - including those on Windows 10 Mobile - that they should now access LinkedIn via the browser on their devices. A new LinkedIn app is coming soon to the Windows Store, but it will be a "Windows desktop app" with no compatibility for Windows 10 Mobile devices.

Source and images: Aggiornamenti Lumia