WhatsApp: updates stopped for BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows Phone

According to the latest information, by the end of the year WhatsApp will no longer provide support for BlackBerry (including BB10 OS), Nokia S40, Nokia Symbian S60, Android 2.1 or 2.2 e Windows Phone 7.1. The latest versions of Windows Phone e Windows 10 Mobile can still enjoy support WhatsApp even though the mobile phone market remains a “war” reserved for Android e iOS. Users of WhatsApp with devices using one of the operating systems mentioned above should, by the end of the year, upgrade to an iPhone, a new smartphone Android or a Windows Phone 8.1 / Windows 10 mobile.

“Although these mobile devices have been an important part of our history, they do not offer the kind of features we need to expand the capabilities of our app in the future,” reads a statement from WhatsApp which comes on the sidelines of the seventh-anniversary celebrations during which the company analyzed what has been possible to achieve to date and what else can be achieved.

The reasons for the new choice

In particular WhatsApp remember that in 2009 the way mobile devices were used was completely different from today. At that time, about 70 percent of all smartphones sold wereBlackBerry e Nokia, with their respective mobile operating systems.

Today, mobile devices that support the operating systems of Google (Android), Apple (IOS) and Microsoft represent 99.5 percent of sales compared to 25 percent in 2009. With these major changesWhatsApp has decided to abandon the past and focus on the present and the future.

“We want to look ahead to our next seven years,” the company states, “we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms that the vast majority of people use.”

WhatsApp has recently surpassed one billion active monthly users and continues to grow, also thanks to abandoning the idea of charging a few cents a year for its use.

At the same time, the news that some operating systems will no longer be supported may not please some users, especially those in developing markets where the old operating system ofNokia still holds a good market share.

ForBlackBerry, however, the end of WhatsApp support may not have a major impact, as the company is now focused on usingAndroid on new devices and completely abandoning its proprietary operating system.