WhatsApp to Stop Working on Millions of Devices From 2020

WhatsApp is back in the news again, this time, for removing support for older smartphones. The Facebook-owned instant messaging service will stop working on millions of older mobile devices globally in 2020. The first of these Windows Phones will be locked out forever after December 31, 2019. Separately, from February 1, 2020, any iPhone running iOS 8 or older will no longer be supported, along with any Android device running version 2.3.7 or older.

These details were posted on WhatsApp on its blog, as well as its FAQ page. The Facebook-owned company said, "Users of these operating systems are already unable to create new WhatsApp accounts or re-verify existing accounts."

WhatsApp is also withdrawing support for all Windows phones from December 31, 2019 - the same month that Microsoft ends support of its Windows 10 Mobile OS.

Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014 and aims to integrate the messaging platform into its other services Messenger and Instagram.

Meanwhile, users around the globe were facing trouble in sending or receiving messages on WhatsApp late Tuesday. Reports showed outages across Europe and in the US, Mexico and South America.

Earlier this month, WhatsApp brought the call waiting feature to its Android app, weeks after introducing the feature for iPhone. Prior to the update, when Android users received a WhatsApp call in midst of another WhatsApp call, the incoming call was automatically disconnected and they would see a missed call notification when the existing conversation ended. But following the update, users can choose to pick up the incoming call while talking with another person.