WhatsApp logo.
Credit: Reuters Photo
With more than 3.5 billion active users. WhatsApp is undeniably the most popular messenger application on all platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.
To maintain its lead over competitors like Telegram, Signal, and others, WhatsApp regularly introduces new features. However, the app requires the devices to meet a standard hardware requirement to deliver the best user experience to the subscribers.
So, from time to time, WhatsApp ends support for older phones. In the latest instance, it has announced that the messenger app will run only on devices with iOS 15.1 or newer versions. It should be noted that the latest version for iPhones is 18.6. So, not many users will be affected by the restriction on older models.
It is the same with Google's mobile OS as well. WhatsApp will run only on devices with Android 5.0 or newer versions.
"We stop supporting older devices and operating systems on an ongoing basis. This is so we can support newer ones and keep up with the latest advances in technology," WhatsApp says on the support page.
In a related development, WhatsApp is testing a value-added feature that allows users to set up a secondary account on a single phone.
The user will get two options to add a second account to the phone: 1) by registering a new phone number; and 2) by linking an existing account through a QR code.
And, whenever the user switches the account, the chat inbox will get synced with the device and allow him/her to view all the latest and old messages.
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