Here is how you can backup your chats and data as WhatsApp will end support for select Android and iOS devices on February 1 | Trendsmedia.

On its official FAQ page, WhatsApp has said that it will not support devices running Android versions 2.3.7 and older or iOS 8 and older. The cutoff date for support of these devices is February 1, 2020. WhatsApp will be supported on Android devices running Android OS 4.0.3 or higher. On the iOS front, devices running iOS 9 or higher will be supported. If you are rocking a JioPhone then know that select phones running KaiOS 2.5.1 or higher, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2 will be supported. 

This news shouldn't come as a shock as information about the OS versions not being supported has been on the company’s blog for some time now. Here is a quick recap of when WhatsApp support for various OS versions ended. 

Nokia Symbian S60: after June 30, 2017 BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry 10: after December 31, 2017 Nokia S40: after December 31, 2018 All Windows Phone operating systems: after December 31, 2019 Android versions 2.3.7 and older: after February 1, 2020 iPhone iOS 8 and older: after February 1, 2020

If you are using a device running on Android 2.3.7 or iOS 8, then it's time to upgrade. If your device isn't upgradeable, then it's time to get a new device. If you are worried about losing your chats then know that you can back them up. 

To backup your chats simply open WhatsApp > tap More options  > Settings > Chats > Chat backup > BACK UP.

Users can also export their chat history by simply opening the individual or group chat > Tap More options > Tap More > Tap Export chat. Then you can choose whether to export with media or without media. An email will be composed with your chat history attached as a .txt document. You can read more about how to backup your chats here. 

In other WhatsApp news, Facebook has reportedly pushed back its plans to introduce ads within WhatsApp. As per a report, there was a dedicated team that was working on building a codebase that would enable ad integration with WhatsApp. This team was apparently disbanded in recent months and their work was “deleted from WhatsApp’s code.” You can read more about it here.

Credit to Digit.in