WhatsApp will only be available to phones with the latest mobile platforms by 2017. WhatsApp's decision to cut support for older phones may negatively affect Blackberry and Nokia's smartphone business.
Big changes are coming to WhatsApp. Tech Times said that WhatsApp Inc. plans to improve its messaging app's features and will only be available to the latest mobile operating systems. The company continues to grow as it celebrates its 7th founding anniversary (WhatsApp was introduced in 2009). Today, WhatsApp has reached about one billion monthly active users worldwide.
WhatsApp seeks to improve its mobile messaging app's speed, reliability, and security. A new beta testing program for WhatsApp allows users to easily view the app's features without having to download and install an APK file. The beta app is now available at Google Play Store.
WhatsApp announced that it will only offer support to popular mobile platforms before 2016 ends. In 2009, around 70% of smartphone sales came from Blackberry and Nokia smartphones with their respective mobile operating systems. Today, however, smartphones with mobile platforms offered by Apple, Microsoft, and Google make up 99.5% of sales. WhatsApp also decided to get rid of its $1 annual subscription fee to attract more users, said another report from Tech Times.
WhatsApp's decision to end support for older phones by 2017 may affect Blackberry and Nokia's smartphone business. WhatsApp said that it will focus on the latest smartphones since older handsets do not have the capacity to support new features in the app.
SlashGear added that Blackberry and Nokia's phones are very old and may play badly in the world market. At present, only .5% of sales go to these smartphones. The decision of WhatsApp to give up support particularly on Blackberry and Nokia may post a problem among users of these gadgets.
Some suggestions included upgrading BlackBerry and Nokia devices to newer versions of Android, iPhone, or Windows. WhatsApp's decision might not have too much effect on BlackBerry users since Blackberry plans to use Android as its mobile operating system soon. Hopefully, Nokia and other older Android phones will follow.
WhatsApp continues to improve its features to satisfy users and compete against rival messaging apps, such as Telegram and Kik Messenger. WhatsApp is a free application that allows users to exchange messages with photos and videos without having to pay for SMS.
