WhatsApp no longer supports Windows Phone

WhatsApp is culling some of the older operating systems it runs on. The latest one to get axed is Windows Phone. The messaging app no longer supports Microsoft's mobile platform. And older OSes like Android 2.3.7 and iOS 8 or older will not get support after February 1, 2020. Users will no longer be able to create new accounts or verify existing ones on these platforms. You will not be able to transfer your chat history from one platform to another, so you might need to export your chat history as an email attachment if you want access to them. But it would be best if you did so before the deadline.

Source: Engadget

Microsoft exec confirms there won’t be a Windows Phone coming out any time soon

Microsoft has acknowledged that it wasn’t getting anywhere with its Windows Phone platform and has decided to stop actively developing anything for it. Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Windows, confirmed the news on Twitter. And like Bill Gates, he’s using an Android device, too. Microsoft tried to match up to the likes of Android and iOS but couldn’t lure app developers to work on its platform, leaving its ecosystem with hardly any apps that users would want to use. Aside from that, Microsoft couldn’t get third-party phone manufacturers to develop hardware for them, too.

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Microsoft stops support for Windows Phone 8.1

You can think of it as the end of an era but we just lost one of the major operating systems as Microsoft announced it has terminated support for Windows Phone 8.1. This version was the last iteration of Windows Phone before Microsoft made a switch to Windows 10 Mobile. Users who still use these devices will no longer get updates or technical support. Microsoft tried to bring the battle to Google and Apple but couldn’t seem to gain traction for its mobile OS. Now, we’re not sure about the future of Windows 10 Mobile either. Hopefully it doesn’t meet the same tragic fate so soon.

Source: Apple Insider

WhatsApp beta gets OneDrive message backup on Windows phones

If you’re looking for a way to securely store your messages and data from the app, WhatsApp released a new update for its beta version on Windows Phone to do just that. The service now lets you safely store data on Microsoft OneDrive. All you need to do to enable the feature is head to Settings > Chat and Security > Backup. From there you can select if you want to backup manually or automatically. With automatic, you can select whether to backup daily, weekly, or monthly. You can also opt to just upload backups while you’re on Wi-Fi and not on cellular data. A stable version of this should hopefully show up in the future.

Source: WinBeta