Christmas usually brings tidings of cheer and joy. However, for some WhatsApp users, we have a bad news.
WhatsApp is going to stop working on some of the older iPhones from January 2017!
The world’s largest chat platform has decided to stop its services on older smartphones and OSes across the board. Meaning that older phones from all major manufacturers and running old versions of all popular OSes – Android, iOS, and Windows – are falling under the axe.
CultofMac clarifies:
At least one generation of iPhone — iPhone 3GS — will be affected by the purge. WhatsApp is also dropping support for iOS 6, so iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, and iPhone 5 handsets that are yet to be updated to iOS 7 will also be unable to use the service.
So if you’re on a device that’s running iOS 6, it’s time to upgrade the operating system now. And, if your device doesn’t support an upgrade, well … it’s time to buy a new device. Or get used to life without WhatsApp, which might not be that bad after all!!
Perhaps iPhone users can find some comfort in the fact that your Android brethren are also being subjected to the same fate.
Support is also being dropped for phones and tablets running Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, and Windows Phone 7 by the end of the year. BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, and Nokia Symbian S60 devices will lose support next June.
Although it’s not great news, we shouldn’t be surprised. WhatsApp had announced it was going to do this way back in February! Software developers constantly drop off support for older hardware (and software) in order to maintain uniformity of features and cross-platform compatibility.
And even without this intervention from the developers, it’s a shame if you’re using a device made before 2010! 7-8 years in the world of technology is a huge gap, and you can’t expect tech giants to keep enabling your sense of nostalgia. That’s what Doordarshan is for!
