WhatsApp is changing its services and will no longer function on older smart phones.
The messaging service has over a billion users all over the world and has said that they must begin phasing out compatibility with older phones.
“Earlier this week WhatsApp turned seven years old. It has been an amazing journey and in the coming months we’re putting an even greater emphasis on security features and more ways to stay in touch with the people that you care about,” said the company in a blog post.
“When we started WhatsApp in 2009, people’s use of mobile devices looked very different from today. The Apple App Store was only a few months old. About 70 percent of smartphones sold at the time had operating systems offered by BlackBerry and Nokia. Mobile operating systems offered by Google, Apple and Microsoft – which account for 99.5 percent of sales today – were on less than 25 percent of mobile devices sold at the time,” they continue.
The company confirm that they are going to be embracing the latest technologies in order to grow and this means they will no longer be working to develop WhatsApp for older devices.
“As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use,” they said.
They include a list of the following devices that will no longer be compatible:
- BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10
- Nokia S40
- Nokia Symbian S60
- Android 2.1 and Android 2.2
- Windows Phone 7
- iPhone 3GS/iOS 6
The tech giant recommend that users of the above phones and systems consider upgrading their devices and softwares to continue using the app.
