Cannot use WhatsApp in Gingerbread anymore

Question

I have Samsung Galaxy S+ (i9001) and the other day had a prompt from WhatsApp to update the app.

The update download but the installation fails and the app cannot be opened.

I tried downloading the APK of the latest version and even many of older versions but the issue is still there.

I know WhatsApp said they are ceasing support for Android 2.1 and 2.2, but my phone has 2.3.6, so it shouldn't be affected.

How to fix?

Answer 1

Yes, officially they said they won't support android 2.1 and 2.2, but since the last update only devices with Android 4.0 and above are supported.

Try installing 2.16.259 over 2.16.225:

1. Download APKs for WhatsApp version 2.16.225 and 2.16.259.
2. Install 225 first, don't open it
3. Reboot the phone
4. Install 259

But soon or later these versions will be dropped as well.

Answer 2

You can install the Whatsapp version 2.16.155, it is the only one that worked well on my Galaxy GT-I5500.

You also need to set the clock to a previous date, to skip the "obsolete version" warning.