“Note: WhatsApp will no longer support Android phones running OS 4.0.4 and older on November 1, 2021. Please switch to a supported device or save your chat history before then,” WhatsApp said (via). The chat client also offers an explainer on saving chat history. So what can a user do if they find their device is unsupported? A straightforward solution is to get a new phone. Users can also try to check for a software update by navigating to the settings.
Users can either get a compatible phone or check for an update to Android 4.1 or later versions
To check the Android version running on your phone, head over to Settings – About phone and scroll to the bottom of the list. If you find that your phone is running on Android 4.0.4 and has no update available, all you can do is get a new phone. Luckily, users can backup and export WhatsApp conversations over to a new device. Open WhatsApp, head over to Settings – Chats – Chat backup, and tap backup to begin the process. Users can choose if they want to back up only text messages or also include media such as videos and pictures. Android 4.0.4 has long gone out of rotation. But it’s no secret that thousands or perhaps millions of users still use it daily. WhatsApp makes these changes to ensure seamless performance across a wide range of Android software versions. The app is frequently updated with new features and bug fixes. We get a decent idea of upcoming features through WhatsApp beta releases. One of the long-awaited features for the chat client is true multi-device support. While the existing implementation barely solves the problem, we’ve come across reports of a Multi-Device 2.0 being in the works. This could finally allow WhatsApp users to access their accounts from a secondary smartphone.
