There are widespread reports surfacing that Whatsapp is ending support for some phones. That bit is true, but the headlines are edging towards deceitful though as it’s only some very old phones that are losing support in February.
The Whatsapp FAQ page outlines the changes that are coming and the OS versions that are losing support.
The supported OS versions are now:
- Android running OS 4.0.3+
- iPhone running iOS 9+
- Select phones running KaiOS 2.5.1+, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2
In reality this covers the vast majority of actively used devices in most markets. For those users who are on significantly older versions of the OS they will no longer be supported from February 1.
For the following operating systems, you can no longer create new accounts, nor re-verify existing accounts. However, you’ll be able to continue using WhatsApp on:
- Android versions 2.3.7 and older until February 1, 2020
- iOS 8 and older until February 1, 2020
You’ll also no longer be able to use all Windows Phone operating systems after December 31, 2019, and WhatsApp might not be available in the Microsoft Store after July 1, 2019.
Even if you can continue to use some of the above operating system versions Whatsapp will no longer be continuing development for them so features may stop functioning at any time.
Whatsapp is a huge platform for messaging and will almost certainly continue to be. If you’re one of those who is about to lose access to Whatsapp, why not check out some of the post Christmas bargains?
