SCI-TECH

WhatsApp to end support for BlackBerry devices by end of year

The Canadian Press Published Monday, February 29, 2016 12:51PM EST Last Updated Monday, February 29, 2016 4:38PM EST

A worker holds the new Blackberry Passport smartphone at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 3, 2015. (AP/Manu Fernandez)

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TORONTO -- WhatsApp says its messenger service will not work on most BlackBerry platforms by the end of this year.

The company says it will end support for BlackBerry, including BlackBerry 10, as well as Nokia S40, Nokia Symbian S60, Android 2.1 and 2.2, and Windows Phone 7.1.

It says it wants to focus its efforts on mobile platforms most used by consumers, which it says are Google, Apple and Microsoft operating systems.

A spokesperson for WhatsApp says the service will still be available for the Priv, BlackBerry's latest offering which runs on an Android operating system.

BlackBerry did not respond to a request for comment.

WhatsApp, which launched in 2009, recommends consumers who use mobile devices where its messaging service will be phased out to upgrade to newer Android, iPhone or Windows phones if they want to still use the app.

"While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future," WhatsApp said in a blog post announcing the upcoming change.