In the past few months, there have been reports from a wide range of publications stating that WhatsApp – the most popular chat app on the planet, with over two billion users – will no longer support millions of devices since the beginning of 2021. This is something that has happened before, as WhatsApp tried to balance the provision of interesting new features for the vast majority of its users with support for older platforms, such as the BlackBerry, to help a minority to continue using the service to keep in touch with friends and family.
According to these worrying new reports, when January 1, 2021 arrives, WhatsApp will only supports smartphones running – at a minimum – iOS 9 on the iPhone and Android 4.0.3 or later for Android devices such as Google Pixel, OnePlus, Samsung Galaxy series and more. Devices configured to be affected by such a change in the list of supported devices include the Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, which are too old to be upgraded to iOS 9 or later.
However, there is one important thing that WhatsApp fans on iOS and Android need to know about this recent announcement. Is not true. Or rather, this It’s true – but the change that worries people so much has already happened. As the BBC, The Independent and Android Police (to name a few) have reported, WhatsApp abandoned support for iOS 8 and Android 2.3.7 in early 2020. As such, users have been living with this change for months.
As of February 1, 2020, WhatsApp announced that it would only work on smartphones with iOS 9 and Android 4.0.3 or later.
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Express.co.uk previously reported in October 2019 that the WhatsApp support page has been updated to alert users to these future changes. The WhatsApp for iOS support page previously stated: “WhatsApp for iPhone requires iOS 9 or later. On iOS 8, you can no longer create new accounts or re-verify existing accounts. If WhatsApp is active on your iOS 8 device, you you can use it until February 1, 2020.
“For the best experience, we recommend that you use the latest version of iOS available for your phone.”
So while WhatsApp does requires iOS 9 or Android 4.0.3 – this change is not on the horizon, it has already happened. Talking about these changes before they were released to billions of users worldwide, WhatsApp said support for multiple devices was being phased out to help expand the app’s feature set in the future.
In a previous statement, WhatsApp said: “While these mobile devices have been an important part of our history, they do not offer the kind of features we need to expand the capabilities of our app in the future. This was a difficult decision for us . do, but the right thing to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family and loved ones using WhatsApp. “
So, if you saw an article stating that your smartphone will lose WhatsApp. Please don’t panic. If you can open WhatsApp on your iPhone or Android phone today, you can still open it when the fireworks start on January 1, 2021. That’s because the change you’re being warned about happened months ago.
In other WhatsApp news, Express.co.uk recently reported that WhatsApp users will need to agree to the new terms and conditions that will take effect next February. If WhatsApp users do not agree to these new terms and conditions, they will no longer be able to use the industry-leading chat app. The WhatsApp notification said: “By tapping I Agree, you accept the new terms, which take effect on February 8, 2021. After that date, you will need to accept the new terms to continue using WhatsApp or you can always delete your account . “
It is unclear what exactly the changes mean for WhatsApp users who previously told Express.co.uk that they currently do not have a statement to offer. However, WhatsApp confirmed that all users must agree to the new terms by February 8, 2021 if they want to continue using the chat app. A spokesman also told Express.co.uk: “We will be updating our terms of service and privacy policy as we work to make WhatsApp a great way to get answers or help from a company.”