Reliance JioPhone, the budget 4G VoLTE feature phone from Reliance Jio may soon get support for instant messaging app WhatsApp. While there has been no announcements regarding this either from WhatsApp or Reliance Jio, recent reports have revealed that WhatsApp for JioPhone is being worked on.
WhatsApp is reportedly working on a native app for KaiOS. The JioPhone runs on KaiOS, a web-based operating system designed for the JioPhone which has been forked from Firefox OS. Earlier, Mozilla had tried to create a base for apps using HTML5 but failed to do so.
After the success and positive feedback of the Reliance JioPhone, the company has also partnered with companies like HMD Global and Alcatel to power their feature devices such as the Nokia 8810 and Alcatel OneTouch Flip Go.
The Reliance JioPhone was the best-selling feature phone in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the company had claimed that it has sold millions of units. Last month, WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook had announced the Facebook app for the JioPhone. Last year, Google had announced the launch of the Google Assistant for the JioPhone.
Last month at the MWC 2018, KaiOS revealed that it now supports apps from Google, Facebook and Twitter. While WhatsApp was missing from this list, the messaging app is expected to soon launch an app for the Linux-based light operating system.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, “Important references about the development of a new native KaiOS app had been found in the latest WhatsApp beta for Windows Phone 2.18.38, indicating the presence of a new platform that can be connected to WhatsApp servers.”
It is no be noted that WhatsApp had stopped supporting Windows Phone 8 and Blackberry devices to cut down costs on less engaging platforms. Additionally, WhatsApp will stop supporting Symbian S40 devices in December this year.
