With 2017 underway, WhatsApp has officially begun dropping support for legacy platforms, which now include earlier versions of Android and iOS.
If you’re still toting an iPhone 3GS or a Motorola DROID, we’ve got some unfortunate news. As the first week of 2017 winds down to a close, WhatsApp has launched its plan to cease support on legacy operating systems, starting with iOS 6, Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, as well as Windows Phone 7.
WhatsApp announced earlier in 2016 that it would soon cease support for multiple platforms – BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry OS, Symbian S40 and Symbian S60 will soon find themselves on the cutting room floor. In the case of the former, BlackBerry has earned a slight reprieve until June 30th this year.
Read: BlackBerry is ‘exploring alternatives’ to WhatsApp
The move paints a great canvas as to just how much has changed in the mobile landscape since WhatsApp launched in 2009. In that same year, 70% of all handsets ran on either BlackBerry or Nokia-made software.
Fast forward to 2017, and 99.5% of smartphones are powered by either iOS, Android or Windows Phone – though the latter majority has quickly dwindled to own less than 1% of the market space.
Since its acquisition by Facebook, WhatsApp has endured a bumper period filled with upgrades and updates. Last year alone, the application rolled out end-to-end encryption, support for Snapchat-style image editing, GIFs, voice and video calling, and much more.
Leaving legacy operating systems behind will enable WhatsApp to concentrate on the future, and roll out new features far more easily. As a company spokesperson cited:
(The move to drop support for older operating systems) “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 the app. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone…to continue using WhatsApp.”
Read: 3 exciting WhatsApp updates that’ll shake up the competition
What are your thoughts? Will your handset be affected? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
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