WhatsApp to stop working on these smartphones from Jan 1

Team Udayavani, Dec 17, 2020, 3:20 PM IST

Photo used for representational purposes

WhatsApp will end support on some iOS and Android devices from January 1. Reports say that Facebook-owned messaging app, WhatsApp will stop working on smartphones that are not running on at least iOS 9 or Android 4.0.3 operating systems.

The reports also state that iPhones running on iOS 9 will not be able to use WhatsApp on their phones from 2021. The iPhone models up to iPhone 4 , which means people using iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S will need to update their operating system to iOS 9 or later in order to continue using WhatsApp.

Likewise for Android, WhatsApp will stop working on smartphones that do not have at least Android 4.0.3.That includes models like HTC Desire, LG Optimus Black, Motorola Droid Razr, Samsung Galaxy S2 and many other Android phones that could lose support for WhatsApp in 2021.

Those having the option of updating their phone to latest Android version can do that but for those who can’t the only option is to buy a new smartphone.

To know in what operating system your phone is running on, iPhone users can go to Settings>General >Information to know about the software version of your phone. Android users, on the other hand, can go to Settings > About Phone to see which Android version their smartphone is running on.

Last year, WhatsApp ended support for smartphones running on iOS 8 or older, and Android phones running on version 2.3.7 or older.

This year WhatsApp has rolled out new features. One of them being WhatsApp payments. It has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) using the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), an India-first, a real-time payment system that enables transactions with over 160 supported banks.

WhatsApp has also partnered with leading banks in India including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank. The feature has been rolled out to Android and iOS users.