WhatsApp to stop working on several smartphones starting January 1, 2020

WhatsApp would stop working on Windows Phone starting January 1, 2020. The Facebook-owned company had earlier this year announced that it would drop support for all smartphones running on the Windows Phone operating system. WhatsApp would also stop working on millions of Android and iOS devices starting February 2020.

WhatsApp for Windows Phone is not available on the Microsoft Store since July 1, 2019. “Because we no longer actively develop for these operating systems, some features might stop functioning at any time,” announced WhatsApp on its FAQ page.

Microsoft stopped supporting Windows Phone OS earlier this year. The company had advised Windows Phone OS users to switch to Android or iOS devices as it would stop sending new security updates after December 10, 2019.

Windows 10 Mobile, the successor to Windows Phone OS, is also shutting down on January 14, 2020.

The WhatsApp FAQ page also states that Android and iOS devices running on older versions of the operating system won’t support WhatsApp following February 1, 2020. 

WhatsApp recommends users who are using Android devices running on version 2.3.3 and older to upgrade to the latest version. WhatsApp for iPhone requires iOS 9 or later. The Facebook-owned app has announced that iPhones operating on iOS 8 or older will be able to use the service until February 1, 2020. These users can no longer create a new account or reverify their existing account.