Not so good news! Starting November 1st, 2021, WhatsApp will stop supporting older Android and iOS versions.
On the Android front, phones running versions before Android 4.1 will not be supported any longer. If you have an old Android phone that runs on these older versions of systems, you may want to consider upgrading to a new device.
Talking about Apple iOS, WhatsApp will no longer support devices operation lower than iOS 10 upgrade. Meanwhile, WhatsApp will only support KaiOS 2.5.0 after November 1, so JioPhone and JioPhone 2 users can continue to use the platform.
Why WhatsApp is stopping support for older Android and iOS versions?
This move of eliminating older devices comes after the parent company Facebook has faced several security breaches (of course, Facebook would never accept the data leaks, but, we all know that for sure and many profiles were a victim of hacking). This move by the Facebook owned platform is a necessary precaution taken to improve the platform’s overall security by having it support once recent operating system versions that will offer users a certain level of control over privacy and security.
What would happen if you are running an older version of Android or iOS?
Sad enough, but this is true. From November 1st, 2021, if you phone is running on older Android and iOS versions, as stated earlier in the article, your WhatsApp account would be logged out and you will not be able to log back in unless you update your device.
This might also push the sales for newer devices. Maybe, it’s a planned out strategy 🤨 who knows! All we are concerned about the carbon footprint impacting the environment. But, that’s the last thing on the mind of the social media giant and/or other phone manufacturers.
WhatsApp also mentions on its website that if you’re moving from an older KaiOS based device to another smartphone platform , there is no way to retrieve your chat history.
Now how do you check you Android or iOS version?
To check your Android version, you can open the Settings app on your Android phone and scroll down to find the about phone option. Tap on it to open its sub-sections and look for the ‘Android Version’ option. On iOS, you can open the Settings app and navigate to General/ About / Software Version.
Fingers crossed 🤞🏼 hope you ain’t using older Android and iOS versions!
In case you are using older Android and iOS versions, please upgrade or risk losing your chat history forever.
Whatever you do, remember if you are using older Android and iOS versions, the deadline is November 1st, 2021.
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