Latest Update: The application has announced that some phones will stop having WhatsApp in 2018. The affected devices will be those that have versions of Android before 2.3.3, Windows Phone 7, or iOS 3GS/iOS 6.
2018 does not arrive with very good news for some mobile owners. If you have a somewhat old mobile device and are thinking about the possibility of changing it, you may have some other reason than the pure aesthetics or the quality of your camera.
As announced by WhatsApp, the mobile application will no longer be able to be used on certain devices as of January 1, 2018.
WhatsApp is further extending the end-of-life dates for BlackBerry OS and Nokia S40 platforms until December 2017 and December 2018 respectively. WhatsApp has updated its blog post to include a new timeline for end-of-life support for various platforms.
As the company itself specified in its blog, versions of the Android operating system prior to 2.3.3, Windows Phone 7, iOS 3GS / iOS 6, and Nokia Symbian S60 will not be compatible with WhatsApp, from the new year.
For users with BlackBerry 10 phones, BlackBerry OS, and Windows Phone 8.0, things look better. These devices can continue to use the application, but not in its entirety. Among the limitations that WhatsApp will impose on them with the new year, is the impossibility of creating a new account, nor does it re-verify an existing account.
The same will happen to users of the Nokia S40, as of December 31, 2018, and the version of the operating system Android 2.3.7 and earlier, which will have until February 1, 2020, to use WhatsApp in its entirety before they are affected by the modifications.
The company has explained that the reasons for these changes are due to the fact that these platforms do not have the required capacity to expand the list of functions that the application will develop in the future.
Among the models that WhatsApp recommends acquiring instead of the affected devices is Android with an operating system 4.0 or higher, Windows Phone 8.1 or higher, or an iPhone with iOS 7 or higher.
If you are a user of one of the devices that will be affected by the changes of WhatsApp for next year and have decided to switch to a mobile compatible with the application you should know that you will lose all the conversations to date.
This is because there is no possibility to migrate the history of chats between devices with different operating systems. Given this, the company proposes the possibility of sending the history of chats by email.
Previous Statements
Starting June 30, WhatsApp stops working on older phones that do not have enough capabilities to ensure optimal service.
“If you have a smartphone, you have WhatsApp. ” This is a statement that we could make almost for the totality of inhabitants of our country. And is that the popular messaging application has become essential in our mobile phones, so much so that we go crazy when we see that WhatsApp is down and has stopped working.
Do you want data? Last February the Facebook-owned instant messaging platform surpassed 1.2 billion monthly users, as well as being present in 109 countries, most of which is the undisputed leader.
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Mobiles that Do not Support WhatsApp
What would happen if your mobile runs out of WhatsApp? In its more than eight years of life, the application has experienced a handful of updates and improvements to provide a more complete and secure service to users such as WhatsApp calls, message encryption, or two-step verification.
The problem with so much change directly affects the older smartphones that are not able to guarantee the correct execution of all the new functions, the reason why progressively WhatsApp stops working on old mobiles.
The first non-WhatsApp-compatible phones were versions earlier than Android 2.3.3, Windows Phone 7, and also iOS 6 (including iPhone 3GS) earlier this year. The same fate should be suffered by BlackBerry and the older Nokia, but the company extended the term of support a bit more to give users time to switch from mobile to a more modern.
But of course, everything is over and the truth comes to an end next June 30, when WhatsApp will stop working on BlackBerry and BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, and Nokia Symbian S60.
The decision was not easy for the company but they need to provide optimal service on any device triggered this decision as these platforms do not have the capacity required to expand the list of functions of the app in the future.
You know, if you have some of these phones and want to continue using WhatsApp, you will not have to change it.
