Popular Messaging app, WhatsApp has announced that it will drop support for several operating systems by the end of year 2016.
The Facebook-owned instant messaging application, made the announcement in a blog post. The biggest of these platforms is BlackBerry 10 OS, along with support for all other BlackBerry operating systems.
Also on the list are Nokia’s Symbian S40 and Symbian S60 versions, and the dated Android 2.1 Eclair, Android 2.2 Froyo and Windows Phone 7.1 operating systems.
“While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future,” the firm said.
WhatsApp said the market was different when it was launched in 2009 when BlackBerry and Nokia’s operating systems dominated the market with roughly a 70 percent share.
Dropping support for these former giants is a bleak reminder of the change in the two companies’ fortunes.
“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,” the blog post added.
BlackBerry users are arguably the most shocked of the affected user base, but the news shouldn’t come as a too much of a surprise.
BlackBerry itself indicated that it is happy with the performance of the BlackBerry Priv, and hinted at a mid-range Android phone this year.
Also, the Canadian firm had in January reassured BlackBerry 10 users that the OS was not dead, and that it had plans for a version 10.3.4 release for later in the year with more security upgrades.
Microsoft itself has ended support for Windows Phone 7.1. Android 2.2 Froyo at the moment runs on 0.1 percent of active Android devices worldwide and Android 2.1 Eclair version is nowhere on Google’s distribution list.
