Renowned messaging app WhatsApp will stop operating on millions of smartphones by the end of 2016 unless they are updated, says media reports.
According to a report published in The Mirror, WhatsApp, with more than 1 billion users, was building out compatibility with older phones in a technology upgrade.
“While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they do not offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future,” said a spokesperson of WhatsApp in a blog.
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The firm has said that some older services would be suspended in 2017.
“As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use,” the spokesperson said.
The report listed several platforms that will not be able to hold the messaging app, including Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7 and iPhone 3GS or iOS 6.
According to the report, any iPhone 4, 4S, or 5 that has not been upgraded to the latest version of the operating system iOS 10 would also not carry WhatsApp.
However, WhatsApp is continuing support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40 and Nokia Symbian S60 until June 30, 2017.
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