February half term is a tricky one. Most people don't go on holiday and the…
Tricky Tech Issues: What’s up with WhatsApp?
At SHASBAH, we have a few WhatsApp groups which we use to communicate with our members. Towards the end of 2020, WhatsApp announced that they would stop supporting older phones and devices from start of January 2021. The change only affects WhatsApp on devices with software older than iOS 9 on iPhone, or Android 4.0.3 on Android phones. The Android system runs on most other brands of smartphone devices other than iPhone). On most devices, the change will already have taken effect, so if you’ve noticed that your WhatsApp app isn’t working properly or if you’ve lost contact with certain groups or people, this could be why.
Has Whatsapp stopped working on my phone?
If you’ve been affected, the app will still be on your phone. A notification box may appear telling you need to update your device. Alternatively, your application may open as normal, but any messages that you attempt to send won’t reach the intended recipient. You may have been removed from groups you are part of, and regular contacts and conversation threads may not show up.
If you’ve noticed that WhatsApp has stopped working and are wondering if this could be the problem, here’s how to confirm it:
- Go to your phone settings app
- On an iPhone, go to “General” and then look next to where it lists “About”.
- On an android, go to your “Settings” application. Scroll down and select “System”, then select “About Phone”. Scroll down to where it lists “Android Version” or just “Version”.
- If the versions listed are earlier than iOS 9 for iPhone or 4.0.2 on Android this could be why.
If the version listed is later or more up-to-date and you’re still having problems, contact either your phone network provider or maker.
What can I do to keep in touch?
If this issue has hindered your contact with SHASBAH, there are a number of things you can do:
- If your phone or device will accept or accommodate the update, you can update your phone’s system.
- Contact us via the SHASBAH Facebook page and we can arrange a different way of keeping in touch with you. The change only affects WhatsApp so the Facebook app, website and messenger still work the same.
- If you regularly receive welfare or befriender telephone calls, then let one of our befrienders know. They can feedback to us so we can try and find a way to help.
- Email us at info@shasbah.co.uk and we can arrange a new way to keep in touch.
As mentioned previously, the change is due to a new update. Many phones are unable to accept updates beyond certain points. If you have an Android phone, then getting a new SD card may help but this is not guaranteed. If you are using an iPhone, unfortunately there is little to do other than to arrange to communicate through a different app.
We hope to keep in touch with you and if you’ve any problems please feel free to contact us.
This blog post was written by Tim Smith, one of our trustees.
“I’m a 2:1 BA graduate in communication. I set up and ran a Student Union society to help students with autism, hosting socials online and in person as well as using various gaming systems. For the past 5 years I’ve volunteered with a local autism charity, supporting the members there on computers, fixing hardware and software technical issues. I’ve also been doing some freelance blog writing for a local disability awareness blog.
I’ve been volunteering as a SHASBAH volunteer trustee since September, trying to contribute to our blog and technical guides. I hope they may be of use to you all. I’d be more than glad to help anyone with technical, communication or computer support. Please get in touch.”
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