WhatsApp will soon stop working on millions of older smartphones.

The November deadline is fast approaching – and will lock some iPhones and Android phones off WhatsApp forever...

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/16257210/whatsapp-blocked-not-working-iphone-android-models-update/

so basically those with Android 4.0 and below, must be very old maybe 10 years

The Sun also seems to have another, separate article saying that Google is going to be blocking Google access to YouTube, Gmail and Google Maps on Android devices with version 2.3 OS and older...

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/16252672/google-maps-youtube-gmail-android-blocked-ewaste/

 

"Google said it plans to block users from signing in with their Google Account on devices using Android 2.3.

The ageing version of Google's operating system launched in December 2010."

...

"As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our users safe, Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting September 27, 2021," a Google spokesperson explained.

...

Smartphones that remain stuck with Android 2.3 include Sony Xperia Advance, Lenovo K800, Sony Xperia Go, Vodafone Smart II, Samsung Galaxy S2, Sony Xperia P, LG Spectrum, Sony Xperia S, LG Prada 3.0, HTC Velocity, HTC Evo 4G, Motorola Fire, and Motorola XT532."

 

 

 

18 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Smartphones that remain stuck with Android 2.3 include Sony Xperia Advance, Lenovo K800, Sony Xperia Go, Vodafone Smart II, Samsung Galaxy S2, Sony Xperia P, LG Spectrum, Sony Xperia S, LG Prada 3.0, HTC Velocity, HTC Evo 4G, Motorola Fire, and Motorola XT532."

'Blocked on MILLIONS of phones'

Well, at least several dozen .....

Never used it anyway.

yeah great.... I will go enjoy the beach better....

that is interesting.  i was very late to the smartphone market, got a used iphone 4 from a friend for free.  around 2015 or so.  a couple yrs later i had to get a newer phone as the LINE app was no longer supported on the iphone 4.  looks like whatsapp kept the support alot longer than line. 

No loss whatsoever 

3 hours ago, mrfill said:

'Blocked on MILLIONS of phones'

Well, at least several dozen .....

If you had read the pertinent article, you would have seen it reporting:

 

"Somewhere around 0.2% to 0.3% of Android users are still accessing the Play Store on Android 2.3 – which sounds small.

But there are more than 3billion active Android devices in the world.

 

That suggests somewhere between 6million and 9million active devices will be affected by this change."

 

Whatever!  Don't use it.  Good riddance.

 

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

If you had read the pertinent article, you would have seen it reporting:

 

"Somewhere around 0.2% to 0.3% of Android users are still accessing the Play Store on Android 2.3 – which sounds small.

But there are more than 3billion active Android devices in the world.

 

That suggests somewhere between 6million and 9million active devices will be affected by this change."

 

Just for fun, I looked at the number of "active Android devices". You are right, that is 3Bn, but all the related news come from one statement by one Google guy earlier this year. If you decipher what he actually said, it turns out this is the total number of active devices over the years. So it includes all historical sales. I am now on my 3rd Android phone, the other 2 however were active in the past (counted in the 3Bn) but not anymore. Also consider that in some phone-crazy countries people change their phone literally every year, sometimes thay have 2 or more. Finally, active devices include nowadays also things like TV, car systems, etc from which one wold hardly access Whatsapp.

Thailand is a phone-crazy country and I doubt that those still using the very old Android 2.3 are in any significant number. There's a lot of apps that were not running already before this particular announcement.

btw, the Sun article mentions the Samsung S3 as an affected model. That was launched in 2012. But Wikipedia says it was launched with Android 4.0. So at least 10 year old models... I doubt many owners are actively using them for Whatsapp.

 

 

Understandable that these things happen. Its hard to keep updating software and keeping it secure. New operating systems often are  more secure because bugs are removed. To keep software safe one can only work so long with older versions of operating systems. Plus at some point you cant develop anymore as older phones can't work with it.

What's WhatsApp?

Whats app has been good for us especially during the pandemic I get to see my little gran daughter everyday

If something like a phone hasn't been updated for ~10 years or so, is it likely the user will be a WhatsApp user?

I still have in the drawer my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which has Android 4. With WhatsApp going that still leaves Skype. Screen remains impressive. Gmail, camera and phone service still operational.