The obsolescence of WhatsApp phones reveals a harsh light

Since this January 1st, millions of WhatsApp users will no longer have access to this messaging service, which we have been reading everywhere for days. This is true, as many phones are considered too old to run the app anymore. But the event is more complicated than it looks. It is not new.

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Today, there are more than 2.2 billion users on the planet – which undoubtedly makes it the most downloaded app – WhatsApp decides to no longer offer its services on some phones that are usually considered outdated. This has happened at least three times. The service, which is owned by Facebook, had already decided in January 2019 that it would no longer work on some of the twenty Nokia phones running the Series 40 system. In early 2020, WhatsApp will no longer be available on some older iPhones running the 7th edition. iOS system. This is especially true of the iPhone 4. And it’s been a year, even on older Android smartphones with version 2.3.7 or higher.

Mandatory updates

Newer smartphones are being denied access to WhatsApp – it is not clear whether this is a new decision coming into effect on January 1 or a few months old. But the result is the same: for iPhones, The service requires minimal installation, from iOS version 9. As a result, owners of older models (iPhone 4S, 5, 5S, 6 and 6S) will need to completely update their iOS operating system to continue using WhatsApp. Android phones require version 4.0.3. For example, this excludes the desire models from HTC or the Galaxy S2 from Samsung. For owners of Sony’s Galaxy S3 or Xperia Pro models, they also need to update their Android to the latest version offered for these models.

Gradually, WhatsApp is dropped every twelve months and phones are considered to be very old. This phenomenon will definitely continue for the next few years. Why? First, messaging continues to launch new services such as financial transactions, contacts with businesses and advertising soon. It is not always possible to provide these services on the most older models.

Security concerns

Another major concern: If Apple or Google stop updating older operating systems, they will become less secure. Hackers exploit vulnerabilities to attack them, which not only endanger the user, but in some cases the entire service.

WhatsApp is a reflection of the obsolescence that is gradually affecting all phones. Like other apps, WhatsApp is forced to follow this endless movement, which ultimately forces users to buy new phones. How many are they? Very hard to say. According to our estimates, 0.5 to 1% of service users may be affected by the new requirements, which still represent 10 to 20 million people. In Switzerland, since the number of smartphones is very recent, the percentage should be even lower.

Also read: WhatsApp should be “monetized” with extreme caution

What is the responsibility?

Do Apple and Google have some responsibility for this quick rush? Without a doubt. Take the apple. WhatsApp is still its oldest running iPhone 4S model, released in late 2011. Since July 2019 and iOS version 9.3.6, the Apple brand has stopped updating this phone (most recently benefiting from version 14.3). But looking at the update history, we realize that Apple has not already delivered any updates between 2016 and 2019.

Therefore, Apple has stopped providing significant updates to the iPhone 4S. This is a relatively short period of time. The situation on the Android side is often worse, as many smartphone manufacturers decide to no longer offer updates for their models running with the Google system.