WhatsApp will stop working on BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone 8.0 after Dec 31

Technology

WhatsApp will end its support for several smartphone platforms by the end of this year. The Facebook-owned company has confirmed this via its official blog post. The messaging service will pull the plug on mobile platforms like BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Windows Phone 8.0 and older on December 31, 2017. This means that users using mobile phones running any one of these platforms will not be able to use WhatsApp after this year.

WhatsApp first announced about these outdated mobile platforms in year 2016. It said that it will end support for these mobile platforms. However, it later updated its blog stating that it extended its deadline to June 30, 2017. This deadline was further updated to December 31, 2017.

" This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone before the end of 2016 to continue using WhatsApp," WhatsApp states on its blog.

These are the mobile OS that would stop supporting WhatsApp by the end of this year:

-- Nokia Symbian S60 after June 30, 2017

-- BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 after December 31, 2017

-- Windows Phone 8.0 and older after December 31, 2017

-- Nokia S40 after December 31, 2018

-- Android versions 2.3.7 and older after February 1, 2020