WhatsApp will stop supporting Blackberry OS and Windows 8.0 Phone by January 1, 2018

Are you a Blackberry OS and Windows 8.0 Phone’s WhatsApp user? Then be prepared to switch to Android or iOS in 2018. WhatsApp just announced it will stop  supporting Blackberry OS, Blackberry 10, or Windows Phone 8.0 and older effective January 1, 2018.  This means that users  on the affected mobile operating systems (OSs) will no longer be able to create new accounts, nor re-verify existing accounts. WhatsApp made the announcement on its FAQ page. In a note on its website, WhatsApp said:

“For the following platforms, you can no longer create new accounts, nor re-verify existing accounts. However, you’ll be able to continue using WhatsApp:

• BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 until December 31, 2017
• Windows Phone 8.0 and older until December 31, 2017
• Nokia S40 until December 31, 2018
• Android versions 2.3.7 and older until February 1, 2020

Note: Because we will no longer actively develop for these platforms, some features may stop functioning at any time.

These platforms don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version, or to a newer Android running OS 4.0+, iPhone running iOS 7+, or Windows Phone 8.1+ so that you can continue using WhatsApp.

Once you have one of these devices, simply install WhatsApp and verify your phone number on the new device. Keep in mind that WhatsApp can only be activated with one phone number on one device at a time.”

WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile app used by more than 1 billion people in over 180 countries to stay in touch with friends and family, anytime and anywhere. WhatsApp is free and offers simple, secure, reliable messaging and calling, available on phones all over the world.