WhatsApp has announced that the app will stop functioning on all phones running Microsoft Windows from Tuesday 31 December.
Facebook, WhatsApp’s parent company had stopped users from being able to create WhatsApp accounts earlier in 2019.
According to the company, the decision was made because Microsoft no longer actively develop for the Windows mobile operating systems and would not be publishing updates or new features.
In a bid to add more advanced features to the app, Facebook since 2018 has been gradually phasing out WhatsApp support for various smartphone devices.
WhatsApp says it is removing support for devices that ‘don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future’.
It removed support for older Windows-based phones at the beginning of 2018, at the same time as they stopped supporting all BlackBerry OS devices.
In 2020 WhatsApp will remove support for older Apple and Android devices.
Google also reported that Android versions 2.3.7 and older, as well as iOS 8 and older, will lose support for the messaging service on February 1, 2020.
Also, Android 2.3.7 was known as Gingerbread and launched in 2010. It is only running on about 0.3 percent of Android devices, according to Google.
According to Apple, only 7 percent of devices are running a version of its mobile operating system older than iOS 12 – which was released in 2018.
WhatsApp will continue to provide support for devices running Android 4.0.3 onwards and iPhones running iOS 9 and onwards.
WhatsApp said: ‘This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones.’
