Back in February 2017, the Facebook folks behind WhatsApp gave a glimpse into their plans for future development. They included dropping support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, the Nokia S40, the Nokia Symbian S60, Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7, and the iPhone 3GS/iOS 6 by the end of 2016, but recently, the list was amended with new EoL (end of life) dates for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8 operating systems.
The WhatsApp team announced in a support FAQ this week that it’d discontinued development for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8 on December 31, 2017. It’s no longer possible to create new accounts or re-verify accounts on smartphones running those operating systems, though the app’s core messaging features will continue to work for the time being.
WhatsApp also clarified that the S40 will be supported until December 31 2017, and that Android devices running 2.3.7 Gingerbread will be get updates until February 1 2020.
The messaging app made headlines last year when it announced it was dropping support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, the S40, the S60, Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7, and the iPhone 3GS/iOS 6. But in a statement on its support page, the WhatsApp team said that older devices don’t support the technologies new versions of the app require.
“These platforms don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future,” the team wrote. “If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version, or to a newer Android running OS 4.0+, iPhone running iOS 7+, or Windows Phone 8.1+ so that you can continue using WhatsApp.”
If your phone’s no longer supported, WhatsApp suggests verifying your account on a newer device.
Source: WhatsApp