If you are among
those still using a dated software platform, then it’s time you start looking
for alternatives of WhatsApp. As promised, WhatsApp will be ending support for
BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40, and Nokia S60 platforms on June 30.
This step comes after the Facebook-owned brand decided in November to delay
ending support for the ageing BlackBerry and Nokia software from December 2016
to June 2017. Support for Android 2.2 Froyo, iOS 6, and Windows Phone 7 was
ended by WhatsApp in December last year.The most widely
used instant messaging app had last year announced that it will drop support
for a few platforms. The company later extended the support until June 2017
after BlackBerry expressed its disappointment with WhatsApp’s decision to
abandon the platform. WhatsApp gave the reasoning that the dated platforms
don’t offer the kind of capabilities it needs to expand the app’s features in
the future.In its Support
page, WhatsApp explains, “These platforms don’t offer the kind of capabilities
we need to expand our app’s features in the future. If you use one of these
affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version, or to a
newer Android running OS 2.3.3+, iPhone running iOS 7+, or Windows Phone 8+ so
that you can continue using WhatsApp.”The Facebook-owned
company has advised that anyone with the above-mentioned older platforms who
want to keep chatting with friends via WhatsApp will need to upgrade to a newer
operating system or a new device.WhatsApp also
clarifies that currently there’s no way users can transfer your chat history
between platforms though the company will provide the option to send your chat
history attached to an email, if requested by users. You can head to WhatsApp’s
Support page to understand the steps.WhatsApp had
previously emphasised how much the market changed in the years since WhatsApp
was launched in 2009. Recapping the market, the messaging service said that in
2009 Android and iOS platforms were running on less than 25 percent of the
devices, while BlackBerry and Nokia’s operating systems dominated the market
with roughly a 70 percent share. WhatsApp’s decision to pull the plug on
Symbian and BlackBerry, however, recaps how the platforms have lost popularity.
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