WhatsApp is dropping support for a number of old and legacy mobile operating systems, starting February 1st, 2020. While support for all versions of Windows Phone will end for good on December 31, 2019, some older versions of iOS and Android will also lose support just weeks later, the company has announced. That includes Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which was first released in 2010, as well as iOS 8, which debuted in September 2014.
iPhone users still on iOS 8 need to either update to a newer version of the software (if available) or get a new device with iOS 9 or later if they want to get all the features of WhatsApp on their phones. While the app itself will not cease to function from that day, users will no longer be able to open new accounts or re-verify old ones on devices running iOS 8 or lower.
In an official communique, the Facebook-owned company said: “On iOS 8, you can no longer create new accounts or re-verify existing accounts”. The message further suggested users get a device with the latest version of the software, which is iOS 13.1, for the best results. “For the best experience, we recommend you use the latest version of iOS available for your phone”, WhatsApp said.
The company also warned against the possible dangers from jailbroken devices, saying: “We don’t explicitly restrict the use of jailbroken or unlocked devices. However, because these modifications might affect the functionality of your device, we can’t provide support for devices using modified versions of the iPhone’s operating system”, it added.
So what are you waiting for? If you’re still stuck on a decade-old version of Android or a 5-year-old version of iOS, it’s well and truly time for an upgrade.
