21.08.2024 05:30
(Akt. 21.08.2024 07:35)
On October 24, millions of users could be without WhatsApp. ©Canva, AP
WhatsApp is about to launch an important update. And this update could actually mean the end of the popular messenger on millions of smartphones.
In the last two years, WhatsApp has chosen October 24th to end support for older operating systems. In 2022, this included iOS 10 and iOS 11, and in 2023, Android systems lower than version 5.0 will be discontinued.
“This is necessary so that we can support newer devices and operating systems and keep pace with the latest technological developments,” WhatsApp justifies this step.
This year, it is also expected that some older operating systems and thus older smartphones will no longer be supported by WhatsApp from October 24th. Android 6.0 and iOS 12 are likely to be affected.
Millions of users affected
Currently, “only” 1.44 percent of all Android users use a device with the Android 6.0 operating system. With over three billion Android users worldwide, that would still mean around 40 million users who would have to do without WhatsApp on their old devices. Among Apple users, owners of iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 would be affected.
As soon as an update of the operating system is no longer possible, there are hardly any alternatives to WhatsApp. Other messengers such as Signal also generally require fairly up-to-date operating systems. Apart from giving up WhatsApp, there is no alternative to getting a new smartphone.
Don’t forget to save
Attention: If you uninstall WhatsApp or install the messenger on a new device, all messages will be gone. They are only saved locally on the respective device. If you don’t want to lose your data when switching to another smartphone, there is a backup function for this. However, if you have a particularly large number of messages, photos or videos, you should connect to a WiFi network.
For Android phones, the backup is saved on Google Drive: First open WhatsApp, then go to the settings in the app. Under Chats – Chat Backup you can find the settings for backing up the data. Under “Back up to Google Drive” you can also set an automatic save interval. You can then restore the chats on a new smartphone.
For iPhones, backup data is stored in Apple’s iCloud: In the app under Settings, under Chats – Chat Backup, you will find the options for a data backup. Under “Automatic Backup” you can set how often this should happen automatically. On a new device, you can also restore your data at this point in the WhatsApp app.
