With the year nearing its end, some telecommunication companies have already announced that they would not further continue to support some much older generation phones. And also, some available apps in the market expressed the same sentiments, including WhatsApp - the Facebook owned instant messaging app used by many all throughout the globe, especially in the US.
It was reported that the app itself will discontinue their capacity to run on certain Android and IOS mobile phones due to the fact that they are still inclined to run much older operating systems. WhatsApp is projected that it would see stoppage of its operations which are still running operating systems older than the Android 4.0.3 or the IOS 9 for the iPhones.
WhatsApp Decision
The announcement was seen on the app's support page, in which they have also encouraged and recommended to the users to use the latest versions of the operating systems in their respective phones to fully enjoy the features available on the apps which could be used in their OS.
Also Read: T-Mobile: Alleged List of Mobile Phones That Will No Longer Be Supported by the Telco Leaks Online
The user base of WhatsApp is currently one of the biggest user bases of apps available in the world today. As of October this year, there are now two billion active users of the app in a worldwide scale. That is why even if the users of the phones which utilize the much older version of the OS, the move announced by WhatsApp may still somehow affect some users.
Android and IOS Phones Being Affected
Android users who are using mobile phones that run earlier versions of the OS itself which are not beyond during or after the release of the Android 4.0.3. would not receive support from WhatsApp anymore starting January next year. Although there may not be much users of those phones that capitalize on those operating systems, still, there are phone units and models which would be affected by the decision of the company itself. It includes the likes of Samsung Galaxy S2, LG Optimus Black, HTC Desire, and Motorola Droid Razr.
For Apple users and enthusiasts, all those who are still using iPhone 4 models or much older than it would then lose the support for WhatsApp by the next year. Apple users who are using iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and the iPhone 6s must then update their respective operating systems to IOS 9 or later systems in order to further continue their use of the WhatsApp. This would only be possible if there is an update available, of course.
Users may still use the app on their older mobile phones given that their operating systems received updates, patch, and upgrades throughout the years that the phones were and are currently been in use. Although for some that may be unlucky to have their operating systems updated through the course of their usage on such phones, the only solution to continue using WhatsApp, is to buy a much newer and up to date mobile phone.
