WhatsApp to end Blackberry OS support

WhatsApp To End Support for Various Operating Systems

There have been some rumours that the handset maker would be winding down support for Blackberry 10 after it had released a smartphone running Android with the closure of its `Built for Blackberry’ programme for app developers. WhatsApp will end its support for various operating systems inclusive of Blackberry 10, Nokia Symbian S60 together with Windows Phone 7.1.

The company had mentioned that it wanted to concentrate the progress `on the mobile platforms, the vast majority of people use’. WhatsApp, owned by Facebook that is used by billions of users all over the world will stop working on the named operating system by December 2016. However, it will tend to work on the latest smartphone of Blackberry that runs Android.

Several of the operating systems which WhatsApp seems to be dropping support are legacy operating systems that are not updated or installed on the new devices. Blackberry 10 is the exception which had been launched in January 2013 and is still being developed by Blackberry. The firm had stated in January 2016 that they were also planning version 10.3.4 later this year with additional security improvements. The operating system, however had failed to increase traction with smartphone users and accounts for less than 1% of the market at present.

Strong Uptake across Developing Nations

WhatsApp had mentioned in a blogpost that while these mobile devices have been an important part of theirstory, they do not offer the kind of capabilities that is needed to expand the app’s feature in the future. It added that this was a tough decision for them to make though the right one in order to give people better ways of keeping in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp.

In February 2014, WhatsApp had been attained by social networking giant Facebook, one of its biggest takeover for an enormous amount of USD 19 billion. The platform observes 42 billion messages, 1.6 billion photos together with 250 million videos that is being shared daily. Besides this there are also one billion groups on WhatsApp.

Earlier, WhatsApp had stated that its services has envisaged strong uptake particularly across the developing nations like Brazil, India and Russia. When WhatsApp had started in 2009, around 70% of smartphones sold had operating systems offered by Blackberry and Nokia during that time.

WhatsApp Competing with LINE/Viper/Hike in India

The firm informed that the mobile operating systems provided by Apple, Google and Microsoft accounted for 99.5% of the present day sales. The smartphone world seems to be different to the one WhatsApp was born seven years ago.

 Presently BlackBerry has about 1% of the market though in 2009 it had been the leading smartphone vendor in the world. It became reasonable over the years for WhatsApp’s support to the major mobile platform in its attempt to be accessible to all. Presently the Facebook FB+0.42% owned company has come to a decision that the platform ubiquity is not worth the limitation which can bring about emerging new features.

The issue is not just that these platforms are not relevant anymore to smartphone users but restricted in what they could do with the upcoming features which WhatsApp has intended. Last week, WhatsApp had turned seven years old.

The company had mentioned in a blog post that it has also hit the 1 billion active user mark. It added that, `it is nearly one in seven people on Earth who tend to use WhatsApp every month to remain connected with their loved ones, their friends and their family. It has been competing with messaging apps like LINE, Viper and Hike in India.