UAE residents face buying new phones as WhatsApp is withdrawn from older devices

The messaging service is to cease to be operational on many phones from February 1

Mobile phone services of UAE residents will not be disconnected if they cannot renew identity documents as per a decision from the federal telecom regulatory authority on Friday. These are part of meaShow more

UAE residents face the prospect of buying new phones or being left without WhatsApp - with the popular messaging service set to cease working on older devices within weeks.

The Facebook-owned messaging service announced it would no longer operate on any iPhone running iOS 8 or older, as well as Android devices running version 2.3.7 or older, from February 1.

It followed on from the announcement WhatsApp would not be available on Windows phones from December 31.

“Because we no longer actively develop for these operating systems, some features might stop functioning at any time,” said WhatsApp on its website.

It also said users would be unable to create new accounts or reverify existing accounts on those devices before the February 1 deadline.

However, the move was criticised by UAE residents who felt the decision was unfair on those who relied on older models.

“It’s very bizarre to suddenly find out we won’t be able to use WhatsApp on older phones in a few weeks,” said Carolyn Belsey Morton, 73, who runs a music shop in Dubai.

“My husband and I both use Samsung Galaxy 7s and we don’t know now if we can use WhatsApp anymore, the communication about this has been terrible.

“It’s extremely concerning as we use the phones to stay in touch with family and friends across the world as well as using them for work. You think they would have notified their customers.”

“Now am I left wondering if I’m going to have to go out and buy a new phone even though the one I have works perfectly fine.

“I was brought up in a generation that believed in not replacing anything unless it was broken.”

She was not alone in condemning the decision by WhatsApp to no longer make its service available on older mobile phone models.

“My family would laugh at me for using an old Samsung Galaxy phone but I never felt the need to change it because it just felt like an unnecessary expense,” said Dubai resident Brian Shaw, 46, who works in real estate.

“I guess I am either going to have to fork out for a new phone now or else be left without WhatsApp.”

The Welsh native also suggested the decision could hit those on lower incomes who were not able to afford the latest smartphones.

WhatsApp has 7.88 million users in the UAE, making it the nation’s most popular social media messaging app ahead of Facebook Messenger, which has about six million users.

There were also said to be 300 million daily WhatsApp users across the globe.

The National contacted WhatsApp for comment.