WhatsApp users on old Android and Nokia phones will still be able to enjoy the application and associated updates for quite some time.
The company has been ending support for several older platforms and so far, a good number of Android devices were headed for the exit. As at the time of this writing, WhatsApp updates are no longer supported on platforms such as Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, iOS 6, Windows Phone 7 and in about a week’s time, Nokia Symbian S60 will also join this list.
Initially, it had been confirmed that Nokia Symbian S60 would be joined by Nokia S40, BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 when the company ends support for the old platform on June 30. However, according to the revised version of the same story, those using the said BlackBerry platforms will enjoy extended support until the end of this year. As for the group still using the Nokia S40, whose support was initially slated to end alongside the BlackBerry OS and BB10, the company notes that they will remain on their books until the end of next year.
At the beginning of this year, the tech giant ended support for older Android platforms that included Android 2.1 and 2.2. When this happened, it was obvious that the next in line would be Android 2.3, but according to an update on the official WhatsApp blog, Android 2.3.7 will keep on enjoying support until February 1, 2020.
This is an interesting development for users of this OS, which was first released in 2010 under the title Android Gingerbread. Apparently, the company had claimed that the reason why it’s ending support for older platforms is because the hardware and software on these devices is not compatible with the new technologies it has been adding to the app, more specifically, end-to-end encryption.
In 2016, the Facebook-owned app implemented full end-to-end encryption for all conversations held on the app. Whether you are sending someone a message or making a call, your communication is protected by this technology, which is backed by the Open Whisper Systems. As it is, it’s almost impossible to implement this technology on these old-age devices running old software. With WhatsApp promising extended support for Android 2.3.7 devices, it’s evident that it will also be able to offer core features to these platforms as well.
For those using WhatsApp on Windows Phone 8, your time will come to an end on December 21, 2017 and for the group on Symbian S60, you only have about a week left to enjoy the updated app on your phone. Speaking of the updated version of WhatsApp, those on Android and are okay with using the beta version can now enjoy a feature that recently made it to iOS.
Dubbed Albums, the latest beta version 2.17.234 and above brings the support for grouped photos to Android, but as usual with beta versions, not everybody can access this feature. The Play Store version of the app is not yet supported, but since the same Store also gives users access to the beta version, you can also try it out on your phone and see what’s ahead.
Just in case you didn’t know, this Albums feature will make your photo sharing experience much better. If you have more than four photos to share with your friend or group, you will no longer see them appearing in form of a list, instead, the feature groups them into an album with a preview of four photos, making the whole place neater than before.
While iOS users also received the update alongside the ability to add filters to photos before sharing them, there’s still no room for the Photo filters on Android just yet. But it shouldn’t take long before the feature comes this way. If you are not part of the beta program, feel free to grab the APK version of the app at the APK Mirror.