WhatsApp is expected to stop future updates later this year for devices running on older versions of iOS. Any iPhone model that is currently running on iOS 10 and iOS 11 will require iOS 12 as the basic requirement. This would affect iPhone models 5 years and older like the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c. The Meta Platforms app has also updated its FAQ section to list the supported mobile operating systems.
The app will continue to support Android 4.1 and above along with KaiOS 2.5.0 and newer versions. The latter operating system is found in feature phones like the JioPhone and JioPhone 2. It looks like only iOS devices are impacted at the moment by the revised compatibility requirements.
WhatsApp was able to look at its data of active users and the type of devices the account is active on. Of the total active users, only a small percentage of users are still on older versions of the app. These devices are also running on older iOS versions. This is why the company has decided to support only devices that run on iOS 12 and above going forward. This comes just weeks before Apple’s WWDC developer’s conference.
Additionally, the company insists users update to the latest version of the mobile operating system. This is to address the security updates that are essential to the device. Some features may also not work on the older operating systems. WhatsApp has informed that users will be notified well in advance before the company stops the updates. Users will also get reminders for the same as seen in the screenshot.
More ways to view reactions
According to a new post by WABetaInfo, the company is also testing out an additional feature for emoji reactions. When users send multiple pictures and videos at the same time in the chat, it gets clubbed into an album view. And if someone reacts with an emoji, you will need to expand the album to view which picture received the reaction. The app also shows you a summarized list of the number of different reactions and counts for each.
Now, the company is adding a quicker and easier way to see the reactions, the count and the image or media against which the reactions were received. While the feature is currently being tested on the iOS beta version, we can expect the feature to arrive on Android and WhatsApp desktop as well.
