WhatsApp have announced they plan to stop support for BlackBerry smartphones by the end of 2016.
WhatsApp made their fate for BlackBerry clear in a blog post last week. In addition to stopping support for Blackberry, WhatsApp will also stop support for the following mobile platforms:
- BlackBerry, including BlackBerry 10
- Nokia S40
- Nokia Symbian S60
- Android 2.1 and Android 2.2
- Windows Phone 7.1
At the time when WhatsApp launched in 2009, 70% of the mobile operating systems were either BlackBerry or Nokia. Now almost 99.5% of mobile phones have either Android, iOS or Windows.
It was a tough decision WhatsApp write on their blog, “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 using WhatsApp”.
WhatsApp is now free after announcing they are no longer charging subscription fees to some users. Last week WhatsApp turned seven years old. Earlier this month they revealed an active user base of one billion users. Facebook’s own messenger service also has nearly one billion users.
