With WhatsApp no longer supporting Android Eclair and Froyo, it was only a matter of time until the same could be said of Android Gingerbread. According to WhatsApp’s blog announcement, Android Gingerbread support ends on February 1st, 2020. The app will still work on the older devices but the users will no longer be able to register or re-verify accounts. Eventually, all support on these versions should cease after a few weeks.
A move like this was inevitable. The latest Android distribution numbers show that 0.3 percent of devices still run Gingerbread. That amounts to roughly 3.9 million active devices that run 10-year-old software. Compared to the 1.3 billion Android smartphones sold to date, the number of Gingerbread-running smartphones seems minuscule by comparison.
This also applies to iPhones that are running iOS 8, which will also see WhatsApp support ending on the 1st of February 2020. iPhone users still on iOS 8 need to either update to a newer version of the software (if available) or get a new device with iOS 9 or later if they want to get all the features of WhatsApp on their phones.
EDITOR’S PICK: Redmi K20 Pro Android 10 update is now rolling out in India
In an official communique, the Facebook-owned company said: “On iOS 8, you can no longer create new accounts or re-verify existing accounts”. The message further suggested users get a device with the latest version of the software, which is iOS 13.1, for the best results. “For the best experience, we recommend you use the latest version of iOS available for your phone”, WhatsApp said.
The company also warned against the possible dangers from jailbroken devices, saying: “We don’t explicitly restrict the use of jailbroken or unlocked devices. However, because these modifications might affect the functionality of your device, we can’t provide support for devices using modified versions of the iPhone’s operating system”, it added.
While we’re somewhat saddened by the news, it’s still some serious and rare commitment to an antiquated OS, even when compared to other major applications. You can’t help but tip your caps toward WhatsApp for supporting users up until the very end. By the time February 1st rolls around, Android Gingerbread will be 10 years old.
For now however, the very few Android Gingerbread users should probably get new phones, the OS is nearly a decade old guys. With Android 10 abound, there’s no reason not to switch to a brand new device, especially with all the great budget phones available now.
UP NEXT: Android 10 (Go Edition) arrives with new features and new encryption
(Source)
