Microsoft has just announced that the company will be ending its disaster/emergency communication service Vine. This comes as a surprise because out of the thousands of money spinning ventures that big corporations roll out each year, this was a noble exception.

This service, although in beta, was originally designed to help you keep in touch with family and friends in times of natural or other calamities, when conventional communication methods were either not accessible or not working. Even if mobiles phones do not work, Vine can be accessed via text message or email.

But now, the Vine beta service will be terminated permanently and October 11 has been marked down as the d-day.

In a statement released just now, Microsoft has thanked everyone who participated in the Vine project and provided valuable feedback on the Vine website. At the same time the company has also stated that despite encouraging feedback from most of those who tried the service, it will be terminated with immediate effect from October 11.

Existing Vine Users Can Backup Contact Information

In case you are using Vine now, you will not be able to access it after that date and Microsoft has also advised you to backup contact information before the service is terminated.

So, what is the reason behind Shutting down Vine?

Well, that is something Microsoft has not revealed much about. The company has only stated that the decision was not an easy one to make and all pros and cons of this discontinuation were clearly thought over. Interestingly the official deduction is that Vine is ‘not sustainable as a standalone service’.

If you have any queries regarding this announcement, you can email Microsoft.

There is a tiny glimmer of hope that the Vine may be resurrected in the future, but not as a standalone offering, which the company finds unfeasible. Till then, you may have to say a difficult farewell to Vine, particularly if you have been using it.