WhatsApp Version 'Obsolete' Error Hits Some Users in India, Company Responds

HIGHLIGHTS

• Some WhatsApp users complained about a new bug on Twitter
• Deleting and re-installing the app did not fix the problem, users say
• WhatsApp Beta testers were asked to 'leave testing program'

WhatsApp has been hit with a version 'obsolete' error. Some WhatsApp users in India have complained about a bug that prevents them from using the Facebook-owned messaging app, with the app claiming the version being used is 'obsolete'. When a few WhatsApp users took to Twitter to report the issue, several people chimed in to say they were facing the same problem. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has acknowledged the bug and said it is working to fix it.

The WhatsApp issue was discovered on January 13, as some Twitter users posted screenshots which read as: "This version of WhatsApp became obsolete on 13 Jan 2018. Please go to the Google Play Store to download the latest version." Notably, some users even tried to update the app but to no avail. Instead, Google Play stated that the app is up-to-date. Some reportedthat even after deleting and re-installing the app did not fix the problem and WhatsApp was showing the same message. Interestingly, for some WhatsApp Beta testers, the app also showed the message 'Leave testing program'. Additionally, a user said even the Web version of WhatsApp was unable to scan the QR code to log in.

 

WhatsApp Says 20 Billion Messages Sent on New Year's Eve in India, 75 Billion Worldwide

HIGHLIGHTS

• WhatsApp says this is the highest-ever user activity on a single day
• More than 13 billion images, 5 billion videos were shared worldwide
• Interestingly, WhatsApp suffered an outage late on New Year’s eve

WhatsApp users in India sent over 20 billion messages on December 31 as they ushered in 2018 with wishes to family and friends. In a release, WhatsApp revealed that of the 75 billion messages shared on New Year’s Eve, 20 billion were just from India. These figures the highest-ever number of messages shared on the platform, which has over 1 billion users worldwide and counts India as its biggest market with 200 million users. It is notable that WhatsApp suffered an outage lasting more than an hour late on December 31, 2017 and in the early hours from January 1, 2018.

In a statement, WhatsApp said the 75 billion messages sent worldwide included more than 13 billion images and 5 billion videos. The company says it recorded this data is only for 12am to 11:59pm PST on December 31.

While this data represents huge volume and user activity on the platform, WhatsApp disappointed many in India when it went down as the clock struck midnight on January 1. The service went down across the country and users were unable to send messages to their loved ones for more than an hour. At the time, no reason for the outage was given by the company, which only said, “WhatsApp users around the world experienced a brief outage today that has now been resolved.”

In 2017, the Facebook-owned app introduced a number of new features and changes to the platform. These include the option to delete sent messages, arguably the biggest new feature since the blue ticks were introduced. Similarly, there were features such as the all-new Status, live location sharing, etc. to keep users engaged. However, co-founder Brian Acton also left WhatsApp in 2017 to “start a non-profit focused at the intersection of nonprofit, technology and communications.”