It should be awful to be the bearer of bad news in the New Year’s Day of 2018. Well, this was the update released by WhatsApp, as it announced to discontinue supporting old smartphones. This means that you have to purchase new devices if you are going to use the famous chat app with all its best features.

Indeed, starting January 2018, certain devices will no longer receive support from WhatsApp. These include the BlackBerry OS or the BlackBerry 10 and the Windows Phone 8.0. As a result, you will no longer be able to update your version of WhatsApp.

WhatsApp has also reiterated that their decision was made because the said mobile devices are no longer capable of expanding the features of the app in the future.

According to WhatsApp spokesperson, the decision was indeed tough to make. However, it was also stated that this move was considered rightfully initiated because it can also provide better ways for users to keep in touch with family, friends, and loved ones.

Upgrade Your Operating System

If you are going to use the said mobile devices, you need to upgrade to the latest operating system. WhatsApp has already dropped its support for smartphones running Symbian S60. It will also do it for Nokia S40 smartphones by the end of 2018. Furthermore, it will finally include devices running Android versions 2.3.7 or older by February 2020.

The newer mobile operating systems still accepted by WhatsApp include Android 4.0 or newer, Windows Phone 8.1 or newer, and iOS 7 or newer. WhatsApp has made this move because of the inability of older Microsoft and BlackBerry phones to have an impact to the smartphone market of today.

For those who are moving from one device to another, you are advised that it is not possible to transfer chat history between platforms. However, you would be able to attach the chat history via an email to be able to retrieve it. It can be recalled that WhatsApp users were already informed prior to the said move to stop supporting such devices way back February 2016.

WhatsApp Frequent Crashing

WhatsApp already crashed on New Year’s Eve in several locations around the world, including the U.K. The said issue was related to connection, logging in, sending, and receiving messages. Most of the time, users were able to report connection issues with the app.

The developers were not able to issue a response to the failure of the app at one of the most important moments of the year. In fact, it was also reported that the app had a few outages in 2017, including one at the dawn of 2018.

Manage Security Features

Thus, it is important for users of WhatsApp to be mindful of the basic security controls that you can adjust to help keep your account protected. Here are some useful tips that you can mimic.

  • Control how your information should be seen by others
  • Control whom you contact or what you see
  • Control what you are sharing on your account

You can also report issues to WhatsApp by contacting them through your device. Simply visit WhatsApp -> Menu Button -> Settings -> About and Help -> Contact Us for Android devices. You can also go to WhatsApp -> Settings -> About and Help -> Contact Us from your iPhone.

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