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Tag: smartphones

  • WhatsApp to stop working on these devices in 2025

    WhatsApp to stop working on these devices in 2025

    WhatsApp will soon cease supporting 18 Android models and 3 iPhone models, affecting those with older smartphones.

    While the New Year signifies fresh beginnings for many, users who have managed to keep their devices running for over a decade may face disappointment as WhatsApp adjusts its compatibility with operating systems, making it inaccessible for older phones.

    The number of people affected won’t be massive, but for those who have diligently maintained their phones over the years, it’s worth checking if their device is on the list.

    As of January 1, 2025, WhatsApp will no longer function on Android devices running KitKat or earlier versions of the operating system. However, users with KitKat can continue using the app if they can update their phones to a more recent version of Android.

    Unfortunately, many of these older models no longer receive official updates, and upgrading them manually could void warranties and insurance while risking damage to the device.

    For those in possession of aging Android models, several phones will be impacted, including Samsung’s Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy Ace 3, along with Motorola’s Moto G (1st Gen) and Razr HD, as well as HTC’s One X and Desire models.

    LG’s Nexus 4 and Xperia Z from Sony will also be among the affected devices. These phones are now deemed incompatible with the app as it evolves to meet the demands of newer operating systems.

    Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has stated that these updates are part of a routine process aimed at ensuring the app’s security and functionality, particularly with the latest smartphones.

    Come mid-2025, iPhone users will also face a similar fate. Starting May 5, WhatsApp will no longer work on iPhones running iOS versions prior to 15.1. Devices like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, which currently only support iOS 12.5.7, will lose access to WhatsApp. This change will apply to both the regular WhatsApp app and WhatsApp Business, as they share the same system requirements.

  • Why banning smartphones is good for mental health

    A campus that banned smartphones made its students happier. Why?
    Because the phones are like any other addictive substance, says Anna Lembke, author of “Dopamine Nation”:
    “Over time, our brains will adapt” and put us “in a dopamine deficit state…akin to a clinical depression or to an anxiety disorder.
    Now, we’re using this substance not to feel good or get high but just to bring ourselves back up to baseline.”
    Source: CNN

  • Apple shipped 2.5 million iPhones in China in March following virus slump

    Apple Inc (AAPL.O) shipped roughly 2.5 million iPhones in China in March, a slight rebound after one of its worst months in the country ever, according to government data published on Friday.

    Smartphone companies are hoping for a strong recovery in demand in China, where the deadly coronavirus is subsiding, just as it spreads overseas and looks set to trigger a global recession.

    Mobile phone shipments in China in March totalled 21 million units, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a government think tank.

    That was a more than three-fold increase from February, yet still down roughly 20% compared with March 2019.

    Chinese retailers largely resumed operations by early March, with brick-and-mortar outlets re-opening and e-commerce logistics getting back in gear after the virus and tough containment measures brought much of the economy to a standstill in the first two months.

    Apple shipped roughly 500,000 phones in China in February, according to the CAICT.

    Many smartphone makers are now hoping that sales in China can cushion declines in overseas markets in coming months.

    In its quarterly earnings call, the then-CFO of Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK) said that the Chinese market had recovered to roughly 80% of its normal levels.

    The company later wrote a letter to the government of India, one of its largest markets, requesting that it consider smartphones an essential commodity and therefore exempt from shipping restrictions.

    Earlier this month several Chinese online retailers slashed prices on iPhone 11 models. Apple has let third-party sellers in China offer discounts in the past in order to spur demand.

    The company announces its quarterly earnings results on April 30.

    Source: reuters.com

  • Smartphone ‘addiction’: Young people ‘panicky’ when denied mobiles

    Almost a quarter of young people are so dependent on their smartphones that it becomes like an addiction, research by psychiatrists concludes.

    The study, from King’s College London, says such addictive behaviour means that people become “panicky” or “upset” if they are denied constant access.

    The youngsters also cannot control the amount of time they spend on the phone.

    The study warns that such addictions have “serious consequences” for mental health.

    Read:A harrowing heroin addiction grips South Africa

    The research, published in BMC Psychiatry, analysed 41 studies involving 42,000 young people in an investigation into “problematic smartphone usage”.

    The study found 23% had behaviour that was consistent with an addiction – such as anxiety over not being able to use their phone, not being able to moderate the time spent and using mobiles so much that it was detrimental to other activities.

    ‘Here to stay’

    Such addictive behaviour could be linked to other problems, says the study, such as stress, a depressed mood, lack of sleep and reduced achievement in school.

    Read:These 5 stress-relieving strategies work for even the busiest entrepreneurs

    “Smartphones are here to stay and there is a need to understand the prevalence of problematic smartphone usage,” says one of the report’s authors, Nicola Kalk, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London.

    “We don’t know whether it is the smartphone itself that can be addictive or the apps that people use,” said Dr Kalk.

    “Nevertheless, there is a need for public awareness around smartphone use in children and young people, and parents should be aware of how much time their children spend on their phones.”

    Co-author Samantha Sohn warned that addictions “can have serious consequences on mental health and day-to-day functioning, so there is a need for further investigation into problematic smartphone usage”.

    Read:China imposes curfew on young people over fears of video gaming addiction

    But Amy Orben, research fellow at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, warned against assuming there were causal connections between problematic smartphone use and outcomes such as depression.

    “It has been shown previously that smartphone effects are not a one-way street, but that mood can [have an] impact [on] the amount of smartphone use, as well,” said Dr Orben.

    Source: bbc.com