WhatsApp is making further changes to its popular chat app and it may leave some users with an unwanted bill. Facebook’s own service has just announced that support for iOS 9 will be discontinued. This means that anyone with an older Apple device in their pocket will be forced to update their outdated smartphone to keep sending messages and photos, or making video or voice calls.
It’s not the first time WhatsApp has released an update preventing users from accessing the app, but it certainly won’t please those who will soon no longer have access to this hugely popular service.
In confirmation of the news, the company said, “WhatsApp for iPhone requires iOS 10 or later. For the best experience, we recommend using the latest version of iOS available for your phone. Visit the Apple Support website to order to learn how to update your iPhones software. “
When WhatsApp changed things in 2019, the company told millions of Android, iPhone, and Windows users that they would need to update their devices to continue using the service.
READ MORE: WhatsApp Warning: New Message Block Confirmed For Some iPhone Users
WhatsApp explained its decision as follows: “Although these mobile devices have been an important part of our history, they do not offer the features we need to expand the capabilities of our app in the future. This was a difficult decision for us, but the right one to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family and loved ones using WhatsApp.
“If you’re using one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone or Windows Phone device to continue using WhatsApp.”
Thankfully, if you’re worried about losing access, this final change should only affect a small number of iPhones.
Almost all new Apple devices are compatible with iOS 10 or higher. As long as you have an iPhone 5 or something more modern in your pocket, you should be able to hit the software upgrade button and continue messaging. However, if you happen to have an iPhone 4s or older in your pocket, you may need to take a trip to the Apple Store to upgrade and it won’t be a cheap day.
Even if this change doesn’t affect you, something is coming in the spring that will hit everyone, no matter what device you use. All WhatsApp users will be blocked from the chat service unless they sign in to the company’s brand new terms and conditions.
The company owned by Facebook is changing some of its terms and conditions. If you don’t accept them, you won’t be able to chat, send messages, or make calls.
WhatsApp confirmed in a blog post: “WhatsApp will not delete your account. However, you will not have the full functionality of WhatsApp until you accept it. You can receive calls and notifications for a short time, but you cannot read or send messages from the app. “
This controversial update was originally supposed to go into effect in January. However, after an outcry from users, WhatsApp pushed the changes back until May 15.
