WhatsApp has announced it will soon stop working on millions of smartphones around the world as they reach the end of their supported lifespan.
That means users on a variety of older handsets will no longer have access to the messaging app beginning from a specific date. Facebook-owned WhatsApp has confirmed via its support page that it will stop supporting these devices on December 31, 2019.
The company says that any phone running the Windows Mobile operating system will not be supported after this date. However, that’s not all.
Any iPhone running software older than iOS 7 will no longer be supported and neither will any Android device with version 2.3.7 installed.
The iOS and Android blocks won’t happen this month but will take place on February 1, 2020.
According to WhatsApp, anyone using these older phones can no longer create new accounts or re-verify existing accounts.
‘Because we no longer actively develop for these operating systems, some features might stop functioning at any time,’ the company said in a blog post announcing the cut-off dates.
WhatsApp regularly stops support for older devices, forcing users to upgrade their devices if they want to continue using the app.
This is more like a routine checkup for WhatsApp to stripe older devices off its glory. You’ll recall fully well that Blackberry OS and BB10 were off the WhatsApp radar Dec 31, 2018. Same thing with the Nokia Symbian phones.
This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp.
‘If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone to continue using WhatsApp.’
That means users on a variety of older handsets will no longer have access to the messaging app beginning from a specific date. Facebook-owned WhatsApp has confirmed via its support page that it will stop supporting these devices on December 31, 2019.
The company says that any phone running the Windows Mobile operating system will not be supported after this date. However, that’s not all.
Any iPhone running software older than iOS 7 will no longer be supported and neither will any Android device with version 2.3.7 installed.
The iOS and Android blocks won’t happen this month but will take place on February 1, 2020.
According to WhatsApp, anyone using these older phones can no longer create new accounts or re-verify existing accounts.
‘Because we no longer actively develop for these operating systems, some features might stop functioning at any time,’ the company said in a blog post announcing the cut-off dates.
WhatsApp regularly stops support for older devices, forcing users to upgrade their devices if they want to continue using the app.
This is more like a routine checkup for WhatsApp to stripe older devices off its glory. You’ll recall fully well that Blackberry OS and BB10 were off the WhatsApp radar Dec 31, 2018. Same thing with the Nokia Symbian phones.
This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp.
‘If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone to continue using WhatsApp.’