1 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: I Need WhatsApp/Spotify/(Insert App) Master Post
Huh, how strange. I haven't seen this publicised much or at all. I guess the older devices have just not been updated. How disappointing.
Comment by ffoxD at 24/06/2024 at 18:28 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
all KaiOS 3.x devices are US-exclusive flip phones. not just nokia ones, all KaiOS 3 devices.
KaiOS 2.5.x devices cannot be updated to 3.x because of technical reasons. KaiOS 3.x is not compatible with 2.5.x apps, so all apps need to be ported manually by the developers. Facebook, Google, HMD and Jio have lost interest in KaiOS, important apps such as WhatsApp have never been ported, and the Indian market has been lost, effectivelly killing KaiOS on the spot. KaiOS has remained silent this whole time. whether it will somehow make a comeback remains to be seen.
it seems like HMD is only making S30+ phones now. we have seen the 5310/6310/230 2024, 215/225/235 4G 2024 and 3210 4G this year, as well as the HMD 105/110 2024 in the Indian market. they have partnered with CloudMosa (creators of Puffin Browser) to use Cloud Apps, which are exclusive to asian and african markets, europe uses the old opera mini instead. Interestingly, they have left the US market altogether, and none of these new devices work there. confusing, i know.
KaiOS 2.5.x devices, albeit running on Gecko 48.0 from 2016, are still useful to this day, and we continue seeing new devices running it from manufacturers such as Energizer. KaiOS 3.x devices are also very good phones, albeit exclusive to the US and with less apps, they provide group text messaging, better performance, more polish and a newer Web browser. the future is bleak but it remains to be seen.