WhatsApp has issued a warning not a long time ago regarding a block that’s due to happen this year. The application will soon stop working on certain devices running specific operating systems, and the date is almost here.
WhatsApp Will Not Support Old Devices Anymore
Some WhatsApp users could encounter a serious issue later this month when a new restriction will ditch certain phone models. The messaging app has been announcing users with older smartphones for some time now that they will need to upgrade their device to continue utilizing the app. Now, the date is just a few weeks down the road.
WhatsApp has reported on its support page that all Windows Phones will be blocked from using the app starting with December 31st of this year. However, the block doesn’t stop here. The due date for old Windows devices will be followed by restrictions for iPhones running an operating system that is older than iOS 7, and also Android handsets with versions 2.3.7 running. The Android and iPhone block will be enforced starting with February 1st, 2020.
If you are an active WhatsApp user and you own one of the devices we mentioned or haven’t updated the handset’s operating system in a number of years, you will need to buy a new smartphone.
Here are the dates when WhatsApp was no longer available on some smartphones and the date it will stop functioning on others:
• Nokia Symbian S60 – stopped working on June 30th, 2017
• BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 – blocked after December 31st, 2017
• Nokia S40 – no longer functioned after December 31st, 2018
• All Windows Phone operating systems – will stop working after December 31st, 2019
• Android versions 2.3.7 and older – will not function anymore after February 1st, 2020
• iPhone iOS 7 and older – will be blocked after February 1st, 2020
New Dark Mode
Explaining their decision to no longer support older devices, WhatsApp said in a blog post that as the company looks forward to the next seven years, they want to focus on mobile platforms the large majority of people use.
“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. 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,” the post said.
The news appeared as WhatsApp seems to be preparing a Dark Mode launch. Speculations say that the Facebook-owned company will announce this update in the following months with numerous screenshots of the way this upgrade will look flooding the web.
The most recent leak revealed by WABetainfo depicts the way the update could enhance battery life. If the rumor proves to be correct, the new mode could get an option that will enable users to select the theme based on their battery-saving settings.
There is, however, no official comment on the subject, but if the upgrade is indeed under development, WhatsApp will soon announce it.
