WhatsApp calls time on support for BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone 8

If you're still using WhatsApp on a BlackBerry or Windows Phone 8.0 or older then you might want to consider making the switch to Android or iOS in the near future, because the app is no longer going to be actively developed for those less popular platforms.

That doesn't mean your WhatsApp app will suddenly stop working after the cut-off point - December 31 - but it will mean you won't be able to create accounts on BlackBerry or Windows Phone, and no further updates will appear. Further down the line that's going to lead to crashes and bugs.

Windows 8.1 Mobile and Windows 10 Mobile will continue to be supported for the time being, but considering Microsoft looks to have abandoned its mobile OS platform, it's probably only a matter of time before WhatsApp disappears from here too.

'Tis the season to upgrade

"These platforms don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future," explains a WhatsApp support note. "If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version."

You can't use the integrated WhatsApp backup feature to transfer your chat history between different platforms, but it is possible to email an archive of your precious conversations to yourself if you don't want to lose them - for more details head to the WhatsApp support pages.

Now owned by Facebook, it's a surprise that WhatsApp actually supported these lesser-used platforms for so long. If you have been looking for a good reason to jump ship to a different mobile OS, you've just been given another reason to do so.

Via VentureBeat

TOPICS
David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

Latest in Websites & Apps
A mobile phone showing the Signal logo in front of a screen showing the app
Signalgate explained: what is Signal, and how secure is the messaging app?
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Friday, March 28 (game #1159)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, March 28 (game #390)
Google Maps on a phone being held in someone's hand
Google Maps is getting two key upgrades, for easier route planning and quicker access to Gemini AI
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, March 27 (game #1158)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, March 27 (game #389)
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con up-close from app store
Nintendo's new app gave us another look at the Switch 2, and there's something different with the Joy-Con
cheap Nintendo Switch game deals sales
Nintendo didn't anticipate that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was 'going to be the juggernaut' for the Nintendo Switch when it was ported to the console, according to former employees
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker
Amazon is experimenting with renaming Echo speakers to Alexa speakers, and it's about time
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does