WhatsApp won't work on these phones after December 31

Facebook-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp will stop working on a number of devices, starting December 31. With over one billion users, WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world today.

As mentioned in the FAQ section of WhatsApp's official website, the messaging platform will end support for a number of devices running on Android, Windows, KaiOS, and iOS. According to the information provided on the page, the following devices will not be able to create new accounts, nor reverify existing accounts after February 21, 2020.

• Devices running Android v2.3.7 and older operating systems
• iPhones running iOS 8 and older versions
• All Windows Phone operating systems after December 31, 2019

Notably, WhatsApp might not be available in the Microsoft Store after July 1, 2019, the company mentioned on the page. However, the app will continue to provide support for the following devices:

• Android phones running OS 4.0.3+
• iPhones running iOS 9+
• Select phones running KaiOS 2.5.1+, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2

If your smartphone is on the list of devices that would no longer support the instant messaging platform then you need to upgrade your device to the latest version of the operating system for continued service.

Users can't transfer their WhatsApp chat history between platforms but have the option to export it as an email attachment. Here's how to do it:

Android

1. Open the chat for the individual or group
2. Tap More options icon (three vertical dots) in the action bar
3. Tap More
4. Tap Export Chat
5. Choose whether to Include Media or proceed without it
6. An email with attached chat history will be composed as a .txt document

Note: Users can send up to 10,000 recent messages with media and 40,000 messages without it.

Windows

1. Open the specific chat you wish to export
2. Tap More icon
3. Tap info or group info
4. Select email chat history

iOS

iOS users can restore the chat history from an iCloud backup. To ensure if the backup exists, visit WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. To export chat history:

1. Open the WhatsApp chat you wish to save
2. Tap the contact's name or group subject
3. Tap Export Chat
4. Select 'Attach Media' or 'Without Media' option, according to your wish
5. Tap the Mail app
6. Enter email address
7. Tap Send