WhatsApp will stop working on certain phones on January 1

If you own a Windows phone, you might want to look for a replacement in the January sales, because WhatsApp is ending support for Windows 10 Mobile imminently.

You won't just stop receiving updates and new features. According to Facebook (WhatsApp's parent company), after December 31 you will be unable to use the app on your device at all.

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There's no need to panic, though. While it's not as convenient, you will still be able to log into WhatsApp by visiting the site in your phone's web browser. You could also use Telegram or Skype to wish your loved ones a happy 2020.

Bad news for older phones

As MSPowerUser reports, WhatsApp is also ending support for older iOS and Android devices, though owners of these phones have a little longer to upgrade. Handsets running iOS 7 or older, and Android 2.3.7 and older, will lose access to WhatsApp on February 1.

All these devices are relatively old. There have been no new Windows 10 Mobile handsets since 2015, and iOS 7 and Android 2.3.7 are from 2013 and 2010 respectively.

Windows 10 Mobile still has a base of dedicated users who have hung onto their handsets, and even petitioned Microsoft to build a Surface Phone so they would have an alternative to Apple and Google, but the platform's days are well and truly numbered. The forthcoming Microsoft Surface Duo (which Microsoft refuses to call a phone, even though it can make calls and fits neatly into one hand) will run Android instead, and the company seemingly has no plans to develop a new operating system for phones.

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