Say goodbye to WhatsApp in 2017

New York - Khaleej Times reviews a report on WhatsApp that first came out in the first half of 2016.

If you are one of those who are still carrying around their old smartphones because, well, they are working, it's time for a change, if you want to stay connected, that is.
According to a report on WhatsApp that came out in the first half of last year, June 30, 2017 may be the last time you use the popular messaging device on your old iPhones and Nokias.
The report, carried by The Mirror, said WhatsApp would stop working on millions of smartphones by the end of 2016 unless they are upgraded, and will stop extending support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40 and Nokia Symbian S60 by June 30, 2017.
WhatsApp, with more than one billion monthly users, has been phasing out compatibility with older phones in a steady technology upgrade.
"While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they do not offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future," the report said, quoting a spokesperson from WhatsApp.
"As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use," the spokesperson said.
The company has said that several older services would be discontinued in 2017.
"For iPhone users, WhatsApp will stop working on any iPhone 3GS and will also stop being supported on any device running iOS 6," Manchester Evening News had reported.
The service will also stop on any first, second, third or fourth generation iPad that has not been updated. Users need to update to iOS 9.3 to use the service.
Phones or tablets running on Android 2.1 or 2.2 operating system will not be supported after year end.
WhatsApp will stop working on Windows 7 running devices and if you are still using Windows 7, you need to update the device as soon as possible in order to use the service.