The messaging platform will stop working on older phones as it keeps pace with changing technology
As we enter a new year, millions of
smartphone users will need to upgrade their mobiles if they want to continue using WhatsApp.
The world's most
popular messaging app has over a billion users - but says that changes in
technology mean it has to phase out compatability with older phones.
"While these mobile devices have been an important part of
our story, they don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our
app's features in the future," a spokesperson for WhatsApp said .
The company has set a
deadline for several older services that will no longer be
supported.
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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Will you be affected
by WhatsApp's cutoff? Here's what you need to know...
iPhone users
WhatsApp will soon
stop working on any iPhone 3GS - which is the second generation handset that
was released in 2009.
More importantly, the
messaging app will also stop being supported on any device running iOS 6. That
means, potentially, any iPhone 4, 4S, or 5 that hasn't been updated to the
newest version of the operating system - iOS 10.
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It also affects any
first, second, third or fourth generation iPad that hasn't been updated.
If you're not sure
whether you've got the latest version of iOS, you can check on your iPhone by
going to Settings, then General and then Software Update.
Android users
Any phones or tablets
running Android 2.1 or 2.2 won't be supported after the end of the year. This
covers devices released between May 2010 and November 2011 from many different
manufacturers.
Android's latest
version is 7.0 - known as "Nougat" - although it's still not widely
available. Check what version of Android you're running in the Settings menu on
your phone or tablet.
Windows Phone users
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A Nokia executive shows a new
Lumia phone (Photo: Reuters)
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Windows Phone 7 was
released worldwide in October 2010 and Microsoft itself stopped supporting the
system in 2014. So it's not really a surprise to see WhatsApp dropping support
for it as well.
If you're still using
Windows 7 we'd recommend updating it as soon as possible.
BlackBerry and Nokia users
WhatsApp was planning
to drop support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40 and Nokia Symbian
S60 at the same time as the above operating systems.
However it appears the
Facebook-owned company has had a change of heart and is extending its support
period for these devices into 2017.
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Blackberry Passport smartphone (Photo: Getty)
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An update on the
official blog says that these devices will be supported until June 30, 2017.
WhatsApp itself has
been around since 2009 and has slowly added more and more features, such as
end-to-end encryption and video calling. Because of its cross-platform support
it has become the most popular messaging platform in the world.
"As we look ahead
to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms
the vast majority of people use," the company said.
So if you're using an
older handset and want to keep using WhatsApp in 2017, it might finally be
about time to pick up a new mobile.
[MIRROR]
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