WhatsApp to stop working on Windows phone devices from Dec 31

Social messaging app WhatsApp will stop working on phones running on Windows mobile operating system from December 31.

A FAQ section on the instant messaging app’s website stated, ‘You’ll no longer be able to use all Windows Phone operating systems after December 31, 2019”.

Further, the company said WhatsApp app had been removed from the Microsoft Store after July 1, 2019, according to reports by the Economic Times of India.

According to the FAQ page, some WhatsApp features may stop functioning at any time on Windows phone as WhatsApp no longer actively develop for these operating systems.

WhatsApp  is also ending support for old versions of both Android and iOS operating systems.

Deadline for Apple iPhone users with iOS 8 and Android devices with version 2.3.7 is February 1, 2020. Post this, WhatsApp will end support on these devices. Smartphone users with iOS 8 or previous and Android 2.3.7 or before operating system can no longer create new accounts. They can neither reverify their existing account. WhatsApp says that the move is essential to ensure security of its users.

Meanwhile, the company is planning to introduce ‘disappearing messages’ feature also known as ‘delete messages in the coming year 2020.

As reported by WABetaInfo, the website that tracks upcoming changes in WhatsApp, the ‘delete messages’ feature will be a “cleaning tool” for group chats.

“In the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.19.348 update, we’ve noticed some changes for the feature that WhatsApp is working on: new time options and the feature renamed to Delete messages (available in future). Even though previous traces of the ‘delete messages’ feature were spotted in Group Chats, the feature has always been expected to reach individual chats as well,” said the report.