If you want to continue using WhatsApp in 2017 you may have to upgrade your phone.
Millions of users of the messaging platform could face being unable to contact their family and friends via the app over the festive period as the company looks to upgrade their software.
WhatsApp will soon stop working on any iPhone 3GS – which is the second generation handset that was released in 2009.
More importantly, the messaging app will also stop being supported on any device running iOS 6. That means, potentially, any iPhone 4, 4S, or 5 that hasn’t been updated to the newest version of the operating system – iOS 9.3.
It also affects any first, second, third or fourth generation iPad that hasn’t been updated.
If you’re not sure whether you’ve got the latest version of iOS, you can check on your iPhone by going to Settings, then General and then Software Update.
Any phones or tablets running Android 2.1 or 2.2 won’t be supported after the end of the year. This covers devices released between May 2010 and November 2011 from many different manufacturers.
Android’s latest version is 7.0 – known as “Nougat” – although it’s still not widely available. Check what version of Android you’re running in the Settings menu on your phone or tablet.
WhatsApp itself has been around since 2009 and has slowly added more and more features, such as end-to-end encryption and video calling. Because of its cross-platform support it has become the most popular messaging platform in the world.
So if you’re using an older handset and want to keep using WhatsApp in 2017, it might finally be about time to pick up a new mobile.
