Popular encrypted messaging app WhatsApp will no longer provide support for Windows phones and other older operating systems, the company said in an FAQ posted to its website.
Beginning Feb. 1, Android versions 2.3.7 and older and iOS 8 and older will no longer create new accounts or reverify existing accounts.
Further, the app can’t be used on Windows Phones starting Tuesday.
WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, said it supports and recommends using Android devices running OS 4.0.3 or higher, Apple devices running iOS9 or higher and some phones running KaiOS 2.5.1 or higher.
WhatsApp also noted that there is no option to transfer chat history between platforms, but chat history can be exported via an email attachment.
Some features of the app running on those older platforms could stop working after those dates, the company said.
2019 security issues
The company is ending support for the older devices and platforms as it closes out a 2019 riddled with security incidents.
Most recently is a vulnerability that could allow a hacker to deliver a malicious message to a group chat that would crash the app for all members of the group. Users would be forced to uninstall and reinstall the app and delete the group message that was targeted, according to cybersecurity provider Check Point, which discovered the latest vulnerability.
In May, WhatsApp revealed that a major cybersecurity breach enabled targeted spyware to be installed on phones through voice calls thanks to a malicious code from Israeli technology firm NSO Group Technologies.
Other security flaws found this fall included the ability to use a GIF to access a user’s content and a “stack-based buffer overflow” that could be triggered by sending an MP4 file to a WhatsApp user that could compromise the system and allow malware to be implanted on the device to eavesdrop or control it remotely.
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