Millions of old devices set to lose access to WhatsApp

A major security update to WhatsApp makes it unavailable for millions of old iPhones and Android devices from February 1, 2020. Any mobile devices running IOS 8 or older and Android version 2.3.7 or older will not supported by the tech-giant’s new update.

The company made the move to ensure the security of its 1.5 billion users. Earlier, it withdrew support for Windows Phones in December of 2019, just when Microsoft backed up from support of Windows 10 and lower mobile operating systems.

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Withdrawal came after the company’s official website issued a formal statement. “Because we no longer actively develop for these operating systems, some features might stop functioning at any time," it said. 

The company also informed of the existing users of old phones to export and archive data and move chat history to other devices with latest operating systems.

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WhatsApp has, over the past few years, become one of the most popular messaging apps with more than one billion users across the world. The application goes through constant changes and updates are now common. However, fears of the application being a platform for fake news has led to governmental concerns. 

Last year, the Information Technology board recommended that the government ban social networking websites such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube in government offices.