WhatsApp will stop working on THESE smartphones after December 31: Here’s the full list!

 The popular messaging service will stop working on devices that run Windows Phone 8.0, BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 from December 31 this year.

With New Year’s eve, WhatsApp will bid goodbye to two major mobile platforms. The popular messaging service will stop working on devices that run Windows Phone 8.0, BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 from December 31 this year.

The WhatsApp blog post that has expiry dates mentions that devices running Windows Phone 8.0, BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 and older platforms won’t be able to use the app after December 31, 2017.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp will stop working for a number of smartphones, after December 31. The list includes BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8.0 and older.

The company made the announcement early last year and extended support for the platforms in June this year. The company mentioned in a blog, “This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone before the end of 2016 to continue using WhatsApp.”

Users won't be able to use WhatsApp on the following platforms for:

1. BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 after December 31, 2017

2. Windows Phone 8.0 and older after December 31, 2017

3. Nokia S40 after December 31, 2018

4. Android versions 2.3.7 and older after February 1, 2020

The primary reason provided for stopping support for the older operating systems is that they simply do not offer the capability to support future development around WhatsApp.With a user base is billions, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app on the planet. And while users of these older mobile platforms will undoubtedly be affected, they account for only very outdated devices; many of which have stopped being commercially available for years now.

So if you happen to own a device that runs these older operating systems and wish to continue using it for whatever reason, it is very unlikely that WhatsApp may continue to operate, and the app will see no updates post 2017.

Back in June, WhatsApp extended support for both the platforms. At the time, the company said it will pull the plug from devices with Nokia S40 on December 31, 2018, while the phones running Android 2.3.7 or older will stop working from February 1, 2020. Phones running on Symbian S60 stopped supporting the messaging app from June 30, 2017. The support for Blackberry and Windows Phone doesn’t seem to have any further extension and will stop working on the mentioned date.

Earlier, Whatsapp rolled out some new features on the beta version which will soon make their way to the stable version of the app.

The PiP feature enables users to multitask while taking a video call. The app now has a new icon that will prompt when a user is taking a video call. After selecting the icon, a picture in picture mode will start in a new window. Users can also resize the video window.

The Private replies feature will allow a user to reply privately to a group message. Now, a person in a group will get an option to message a particular member which other members can’t see. This feature was spotted in the WhatsApp Web version.