Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp will not be supported on a number of smartphones and devices in 2020. WhatsApp announced that it will be withdrawing support from all Windows phones after 31st December, 2019. This coincides with Microsoft ending its support of Windows 10 Mobile OS.

WhatsApp will also stop working on older versions of Android and iOS starting February 2020. According to WhatsApp’s FAQ section, phones with Android 2.3.7 and older versions will not be able to access the app. Apple devices running on iOS 8 and older versions will also not support any updates on WhatsApp after February 2020.

It is important to note that WhatsApp will not immediately stop working on these devices. Any new updates on the app will not be supported on older phones and devices. Features like creating a new account or verifying an existing one will no longer be supported on the outdated devices.

What to do if your device does not support WhatsApp in 2020:

For users affected by this update, WhatsApp recommends updating the operating systems to the following versions supported by the app:

  • Android OS 4.0.3 and higher
  • iPhone with iOS 9 and higher
  • Select phones with KaiOS 2.5.1 and higher including JioPhone and JioPhone 2

For Windows phone users, there is an option to save your chats.

  • Open the chat you wish to export, and tap on Group Info
  • Tap ‘Export Chat’. Choose the option to download the chat with or without media and export your chats

WhatsApp also highlighted that this decision will not affect a lot of users. In further news, the messaging app is currently developing the highly anticipated ‘Dark Mode’ feature which will be rolled out to users soon.