WhatsApp to End Support Of Devices With Old Versions Of iOS And Android

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Instant messaging App Whatsapp, will pull plug for devices running the older versions of mobile operating systems by the end of 2016. WhatsApp, the leading instant messaging client in the entire world, connects people globally without geographical barriers.

In February this year, the application administrators announced that its services are being used by 1 billion users across the world but will be unavailable for some users.

According to Apple, 63% of iOS devices are running on iOS 10, 29 % on iOS 9 and only 8 % on previous versions of iOS. This data was measured by the Apple Store while Android data records that only 0.1 % of all Android mobile devices are running on Android 2.2 Froyo.

The end of support by the application is unlikely to affect many users since the change is applicable only to smartphones running Android 2.2 Froyo, iOS 6, and Windows Phone 7 (and older versions of the three operating systems). However, in case users are indeed using devices powered by these OSes, come 2017, they will be unable to use WhatsApp on them.

Notably however, WhatsApp gave users of BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10 OS, Nokia S40, and Nokia Symbian S60 devices a reprieve. The company said it will continue to support these platforms until June 2017.

WhatsApp spokes person stated that while the mobile devices have been an important part of their story, they do not offer the kind of capabilities they need to expand the app’s features in the future. WhatsApp will be available to older versions of the Android, Windows Phone and iOS only till Dec. 31, 2016. After this date, non-compatible devices will not be able to use the application.

 

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