Check, you may miss WhatsApp in 2017

Millions of WhatsApp users may not be able to use WhatsApp on their phones from early next year.

The duo represented 70pc of smartphones when WhatsApp was born seven years ago but, with Google, Apple and Microsoft accounting for nearly 100pc of all operating systems today, the decision was sound. However, these updates aren’t supported by older cellphones that have out dated hardware and operating system.

This is not the only change WhatsApp has received this year, the annual fee was scratched off, end-to-end encryption was rolled out and video calls and video streaming was added to the chat service.

The main reason why WhatsApp is encouraging everyone to upgrade their handsets is because dated devices with older operating systems impede the growth of the app.

According to reports, the WhatsApp application will stop working on the iPhone 3GS at the end of 2016. Hence, if you have Android Ice-cream sandwich or Jelly Bean powered handset, you need not have to worry.

The creators of the app offer no advice for those unable to afford a new phone, or are now using phones incapable of upgraded their operating system. They will affect older iPhone models and other devices with older versions of Android.

“As we look ahead… we want to focus on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use”. As far as iOS / iPhones are concerned, all those devices running iOS 6 need to take adequate steps to continue using WhatsApp.

Some latest figures show that many users are not going to be affected with it. Whatsapp support will not be available on those devices which still have Android 2.1 and Android 2.2.

iPhone 3GS and any iPhone running iOS 6.0 or earlier.

For WhatsApp, “getting with the times” seemingly means updating their app in a way that will make it impossible to work on older phones.

It has since updated its post to confirm that support for BlackBerry phones will be prolonged until the end of June 2017, apparently in response to user pressure.