Those with older smartphones may lose access to WhatsApp starting January 1, 2021. This will affect those with Android and iPhones running iOS 9 and Android 4.0.3 or earlier, respectively. This old software runs on phones that have been made obsolete by being bricked by newer updates. Those that still work on the iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S2, and similar generation devices will likely be turned off. This is a frustrating turn of events, but very much in line with the global push for smartphones to let you upgrade your phone. If you are one of those affected, you can save your chats before making a plan to switch to another messaging service or get a new phone. This is done by simply looking for the "Chat Backup" section in the Chats option in settings. Although there are other messaging options, WhatsApp is the largest chat app in South Africa. Not only people are chatting online with friends but there are many companies operating on this platform. This makes launching the app even more difficult for South African smartphone users.
How to check if you are going to lose WhatsApp
To find out if you're one of the unfortunate ones getting hacked, just follow these instructions: iPhone users can go to Settings > General > Software Update to see what software you're using. Android users can find their software information on Android phone in the section called "About Phone".Phones that will completely lose their capabilities
- Apple iPhone 1-4
- Samsung Galaxy s2
- HTC Desire
- LG Optimus Black
- Motorola Droid Razr
- Any Android released before 2010
Phones that will need to update their software to stay online
- apple iphone 4s
- iphone 5
- iphone 5s
- iphone 6
- iPhone 6S
- Samsung Galaxy S3 and newer
- Samsung Galaxy Note
- HTC Sensation
- HTC Thunderbolt
- lg lucid
- Motorola Droid 4
- Sony Xperia Pro and newer