It is not unusual for WhatsApp to drop support for older versions of any platforms on which it is available. It does so every now and then; the last of such times was back in December 2020. But now, and in less than a year, the instant messaging service has already revealed its plans to stop supporting even some more devices.
Information gathered from the official page of WhatsApp Frequently Asked Questions has revealed that the chatting app will stop working on some of the operating systems that were earmarked and set as the barest minimum at the end of the year 2020.
However, the ultimate implication is that the world’s most widely used instant messaging service will cease to work on those devices. The affected devices will include phones with iOS 9, Ice Cream Sandwich, KaiOS 2.5.0, and then Android 4.0.3. All of which would not have any access to WhatsApp, starting from November 1, 2021.
So basically, if there’s anyone who currently uses any smartphones running on any of the previously mentioned operating systems, there is an urgent need to do something.
There is nothing much to do, however, as users can easily upgrade their device’s operating system to a newer version or change their smartphone to a new one that will satisfy WhatsApp’s minimum requirements for support.
According to the company, starting from 1st November 2021, WhatsApp says it will require no less than Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and KaiOS 2.5.1 from devices that wish to stay active on its messaging service platform.
Also, the company clearly stated that under no circumstances will WhatsApp support an iPhone that has been jailbroken, even if its iOS version is a new and supported type.
Now that WhatsApp is hellbent on getting rid of all these old versions of iOS and Android, the changes would not affect so many users. Only a small percentage of Android users still use these old operating systems. But KaiOS users, on the other hand, might face some little problems given how difficult it is for consumers to know how to update their phones on this platform.
