After December 31 all phones running on the Windows operating system will not be able to run WhatsApp and chat with their friends and family members. So, people still stuck to a Windows phone should either get themselves a new phone or join some other messaging apps to continue chatting with friends. WhatsApp has announced the end support for Windows phones in an official blog. The blog writes, “All Windows Phone operating systems after December 31, 2019.”
They decided to do this because of the Windows phones as “they don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future”, the company reveals in the official blog post. WhatsApp also said:
“This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone before the end of 2016 to continue using WhatsApp.”WhatsApp’s decision to end its support for the Windows operating system shouldn’t affect a lot of people as most consumers today either use an Android phone or an iPhone or are still stuck to feature phones. Earlier this year, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 Mobile and urged consumers to shift to Android and iPhones.
In a press note, Microsoft noted, “Technology has evolved along with the needs and expectations of your customers and partners who have already adopted Android or iOS platforms and devices. Microsoft’s mission statement to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more compels us to support our Mobile apps on the supported Android and iOS devices.”
After the support end for Windows phones, WhatsApp will stop working on some iPhones as well as Android phones after February 1, 2020. The messaging platform has officially confirmed that all iPhones running iOS 7 and older OS versions will no longer support WhatsApp. In addition, WhatsApp will also stop working on Android phones running on versions 2.3.7 and older.
Previously, WhatsApp discontinues service for Nokia Symbian S60, BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, among others.