WhatsApp has to be one of the most popularly used texting app in India. Chances are, it is installed on almost every smartphone today.
However, WhatsApp has now released a notice stating that it would be no longer available on some smartphones.?
Reuters
As per a statement by WhatsApp, it would no longer work on iPhones running on iOS 8. Now, in order to use WhatsApp on an iPhone, user needs to update his iOS version to iOS 9 or higher.?
WhatsApp states, "For the best experience, we recommend you use the latest version of iOS available for your phone. We don't explicitly restrict the use of jailbroken or unlocked devices. However, because these modifications might affect the functionality of your device, we can't provide support for devices using modified versions of the iPhone's operating system."
This cessation of function is not just limited to iOS. Android phones running on version lower than Android 2.3.7 would no longer be compatible to receive and text messages on WhatsApp. Moreover, new users on the operating system would also no longer be allowed to sign up or reverify their accounts.?
Reuters
So if you're using a dated iOS or Android smartphone, you have time till February 1, 2020 to get it updated or WhatsApp would cease to function on the aforementioned device.
While updating the operating system can get complicated (due to so many OEMs and their support for the updated software), If you're on iOS, just go to Settings > General Settings >? Software Update and update to the latest available OS to not get disconnected from WhatsApp while also staying secure from security vulnerabilities that surround the web.
As of now, iOS 13.1 is the latest operating system by Apple and is supported on devices running iPhone 6s onwards, however, older phones could easily get updated to iOS 11 or 12.