WhatsApp is already used by more than two billion people worldwide. The company revealed this figure through a statement that also highlighted the importance of offering a reliable connection between users. The figure of 2000 million users is an update compared to the 1.5 billion that WhatsApp revealed about two years ago.
The messaging application owned by Facebook announced this astronomical figure while emphasizing the need for strong encryption to protect privacy, a commitment that it claims to keep in mind.
‘We know that while we connect more people, we have to protect them more and more, that is why every message sent using WhatsApp is done with point-to-point encryption. They are stored only on your phone and nobody can read them or listen to your calls, not even us’, says the company.
Currently, WhatsApp is only compatible with Android devices with operating system 4.0.3 or later, iPhone with iOS 9 or later and some models with operating system KaiOs 2.5.1, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2.
Millions of inoperative mobiles
On the other hand, since February 1, some WhatsApp users will no longer be able to send messages through the Mark Zuckerberg application. Those affected are those who have the Android 2.3.7 or iPhone operating system with iOS 8 or some predecessor. These should make an update to continue using the application.
The date was not entirely clear because, although the company had set it as definitive, it also clarified that it could stop working at any time. Also, from January 1 the service to mobile phones with Windows Phone and Windows Mobile was restricted.
For more than a year, in these versions of Google and Apple mobile operating systems, it was no longer possible to create new WhatsApp accounts or verify existing accounts, but those who already had the application installed were allowed to continue using it normally.
Although, according to the consultant StatCounter, these versions of Android and iOS are used by less than 1% of users. Therefore, and as they are very old operating systems, it is not expected to have a great impact on mature mobile markets such as the United States or Europe, but it could be significant for emerging markets with large numbers of old phones such as India or some African countries.