WhatsApp has stopped working on millions of smartphones running older editions of popular operating systems.
As reported by TechRadar, on 1 February, the Facebook-owned messaging platform ended its support for smartphones running operating systems (OS) older than Android 2.3.7 and iOS version 8.
Since older operating systems don’t receive new security updates from Google or Apple, it puts user data privacy is at risk.
WhatsApp every so often drops support for older devices this way in order to continue building better features and support for the newer version of operating systems. Reportedly on January 14, it stopped supporting Windows 10 Mobile, hitting a final nail in the coffin of Microsoft’s mobile OS.
Time for a change…
WhatsApp says that Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread, powers just 0.3% of Android devices globally, most of which are allegedly in developing countries across Asia and Africa.
Devices such as the iPhone 4, which haven’t received updates since iOS 7, are set to lose WhatsApp support. The next generation of Apple’s devices (including the iPhone 4S), will see updates until iOS 9, and will, therefore, keep the messaging app.
If you’re using one of these older devices, you’ll need to either update its operating system or upgrade to a newer model if that’s not possible. Alternatively, you can access your messages using the WhatsApp desktop app (available for Windows and macOS) so you’re not left out of the conversation entirely.
