It's 2018 and my WhatsApp is still working

Once the date passes Dec 31 2017, the app will go into "deprecation" mode. It will still continue to function for a short grace period, but some behaviors will change. Most importantly, you will no longer be able to re-register your account with the app. That means if you delete and reinstall it (or install it on a different phone), it will no longer allow you to verify your phone number and complete the setup process.

After the grace period, which is approximately two weeks after the published date, the app will go into "expired" mode. At this point, it will stop functioning as a usable WhatsApp client, and thus will no longer connect to our servers. (Around this same time, our servers will stop allowing the client to connect as well.) However, once it is expired, the BlackBerry 10 client app may still allow you to access your existing message content on your phone. This behavior should be similar to what was seen by everyone who forgot to update their app the last time our published expiration date had passed.

We've been down this road before, but it seems this time around, there will be no reprieve for BBOS or BlackBerry 10 support from WhatsApp. As of December 31, WhatsApp will no longer officially support BBOS or BlackBerry 10 and those still using the apps may see features stop functioning at any time.

For the following platforms, you can no longer create new accounts, nor re-verify existing accounts. However, you'll be able to continue using WhatsApp:

  • BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10 until December 31, 2017
  • Windows Phone 8.0 and older until December 31, 2017
  • Nokia S40 until December 31, 2018
  • Android versions 2.3.7 and older until February 1, 2020

Note: Because we will no longer actively develop for these platforms, some features may stop functioning at any time.

These platforms don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version, or to a newer Android running OS 4.0+, iPhone running iOS 7+, or Windows Phone 8.1+ so that you can continue using WhatsApp.

Once you have one of these devices, simply install WhatsApp and verify your phone number on the new device. Keep in mind that WhatsApp can only be activated with one phone number on one device at a time.

There is currently no option to transfer your chat history between platforms. However, we provide the option to send your chat history attached to an email. Learn how to export your chat history on: Android | iPhone | Windows Phone | Nokia S40 | BlackBerry | BlackBerry 10

As you might be able to tell if you remember the previous announcements, some of the wording has been changed slightly in the most recent update from the WhatsApp FAQ. No longer does it imply the app will be shut down entirely just that now you can no longer create new accounts, nor re-verify existing accounts and some features may stop functioning at any time, especially after December 31, 2017.

In any case, if you're still using the native WhatsApp versions on BBOS or BlackBerry 10, you should make all efforts to move from those apps. Whether that means installing the Android version on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone alongside the fixes that allow for sending multimedia or moving into a new smartphone such as the BlackBerry KEYone or BlackBerry Motion where WhatsApp will still be supported.

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