Facebook-owned instant messaging application WhatsApp will stop supporting all BlackBerry OS versions (including BlackBerry 10); Nokia's Symbian S40 and Symbian S60 versions; dated Android versions, 2.1 eclair and 2.2 Froyo and Windows Phone 7.1 totting devices by the end of this year. The tech-corporate took to its official blog to make the formal announcement stating that none of the mentioned operating systems "offer the kind of capabilities they (we) need to expand their (our) app's features in the future.

It should be noted that back in 2009 once WhatsApp began its journey, in operation systems offered by BlackBerry and Nokia compete a very important role in its growth. Android and iOS were new and running on solely less than 25 per cent of the devices. Seven years hence the tables have turned the other way.

"When we started WhatsApp in 2009, people's use of mobile devices looked very different from today. The Apple App Store was only a few months old. About 70 per cent of smartphones sold at the time had operating systems offered by BlackBerry and Nokia. Mobile operating systems offered by Google, Apple and Microsoft -- that account for 99.5 percent of sales today -- were on less than 25 per cent of mobile devices sold at the time," the company aforesaid.

As such WhatsApp needs to focus its efforts on the mobile platforms that stand majority in terms of usage.

"This was a tough call for us to make, however the correct one so as to present people better ways that to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp," the corporate concluded.