WhatsApp with your old smartphone?
Still clinging to the trusted old BlackBerry or Nokia? You may be forced to upgrade sooner than you thought if you want to continue using WhatsApp.
In February 2016, WhatsApp confirmed that it would be dropping support for certain older models of smartphones by the end of the year. Following a major upheaval, it extended a time of mercy for some models. But now the bell has finally tolled: support is due to stop at the end of December 2016 for these too.
Millions of people worldwide use the WhatsApp Messenger service, which is a cross-platform, encrypted instant messaging client for smartphones. It uses the Internet to make voice calls, video calls, send text messages, documents, PDF files, images, GIF, videos, user location, audio files, phone contacts and voice notes.
Does that mean the app will just disappear from my phone if I have downloaded it already?
My Broadband, South Africa’s premier technological online website says no. They assume it will mean if you already have the app on your phone, you can keep using it, but it won’t be available for you to download in the app store, and it could stop working at any point. You will also not be able to upgrade your version, which could affect functionality.
“When we started WhatsApp in 2009, people’s use of mobile devices looked very different from today,” the company said in a blog post. “About 70% of smartphones sold at the time had operating systems offered by BlackBerry and Nokia. Mobile operating systems offered by Google, Apple, and Microsoft – which account for 99.5% of sales today – were on less than 25%.
Which phones and platforms will be affected?
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhones with iOS 6 or earlier
- Android 2.1 and 2.2
- Windows Phone 7
WhatsApp is also going to stop support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, and Nokia Symbian S60 , but these users have another six months’ grace – until 30 June 2017.
WhatsApp said: “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.”
Why do they have to stop support on these older phones?
My Broadband says its guess is that security is the main reason: older operating systems simply aren’t as secure as newer ones, and WhatsApp is pretty big on things like end-to-end encryption.
So, if you’re using a smartphone with one of the no-longer-supported systems, and still want to use WhatsApp, you’ll need to either download the latest system update or get a new phone for Christmas.
