New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS): iPhone users who have not upgraded to a new version of the operating system for long -- there is one more reason to do so. If WhatsApp is currently active on your iOS 8 device, you will be able to use it only until February 1, 2020, according to an update from the instant messaging platform.

"On iOS 8, you can no longer create new accounts or reverify existing accounts," said the update.

So iPhone users will need iOS 9 or later to run WhatsApp.

"For the best experience, we recommend you use the latest version of iOS available for your phone," WhatsApp said.

"We don't explicitly restrict the use of jailbroken or unlocked devices. However, because these modifications might affect the functionality of your device, we can't provide support for devices using modified versions of the iPhone's operating system," it added.

WhatsApp said that users of Android versions 2.3.7 and older will no longer be able to create new accounts, nor reverify existing accounts.

However, they will be able to continue using WhatsApp until February 1, 2020.