WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion monthly active users. It allows users to send messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, videos, documents and more, all for free (apart from data charges).
While WhatsApp is available on smartphones from all major platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, its availability and functionality on keypad or non-touchscreen ‘feature’ phones is limited. This is because WhatsApp requires a number of smartphone features like internet access, a camera, multi-touch etc. which most keypad phones lack.
However, there are some specific keypad phone models that WhatsApp has developed optimized versions for. These phones have sufficient features to run WhatsApp in a limited capacity.
In this article, we will look at which keypad phones are capable of running WhatsApp, and how the WhatsApp experience differs on these phones compared to smartphones.
Keypad Phones Capable of Running WhatsApp
Here are some of the popular keypad phone models that can run WhatsApp:
Nokia Asha Series
Many phones in Nokia’s Asha series, first introduced in 2011, are capable of running WhatsApp. These include:
– Nokia Asha 201
– Nokia Asha 205 Chat Edition
– Nokia Asha 210
– Nokia Asha 230
– Nokia Asha 305
– Nokia Asha 306
– Nokia Asha 308
– Nokia Asha 309
Nokia 206
The Nokia 206, released in 2012, is another keypad phone model that supports WhatsApp.
Nokia 2700 Classic
The Nokia 2700 Classic, released in 2009, supports WhatsApp as well.
Blackberry OS Phones
Some older Blackberry OS phones with full QWERTY keyboards like the Curve 8520 are also able to run WhatsApp.
Huawei Y5 Lite
The Y5 Lite, launched in 2016, is a budget Android Go edition smartphone by Huawei that comes with a keypad. It can run WhatsApp.
Orange Sanza Connect
Orange’s low cost Sanza Connect phone, targeted at developing markets, launched in 2011 and supports WhatsApp.
So in summary, the Nokia Asha series, the Nokia 206, older Blackberry OS devices with QWERTY keyboards, and some low cost Android Go phones like the Huawei Y5 Lite are among the keypad phones capable of running WhatsApp in some capacity.
WhatsApp Functionality on Keypad Phones
While WhatsApp is available on the keypad phones listed above, the functionality and experience differs from WhatsApp on a touchscreen smartphone in the following ways:
User Interface
The WhatsApp user interface is heavily optimized for keypad phones. There are no touch gestures – navigation and selection is done via the keypad using buttons like the directional pad and select key. The interface is text based without graphics or animations.
Media Sharing
Sharing of media like photos, videos and voice messages is limited or disabled on some keypad phone versions of WhatsApp.
Group Chat
Group chat functionality may be disabled and one-on-one chats are prioritized.
Voice/Video Calling
Voice and video calling are not available on keypad versions of WhatsApp. Only text messaging is enabled.
Rich Link Previews
When sharing web links, rich link previews with images/descriptions are not generated. Only plain text links can be shared.
Document Sharing
Sharing documents like PDFs, Word files etc. is not possible.
Stickers and Emojis
Sticker packs and emojis are not supported. Only text based messaging is enabled.
So in summary, WhatsApp on keypad phones lacks many of the multimedia, calling and rich interaction features that are present on the smartphone versions. The user interface is also heavily optimized for non-touch input. But basic messaging remains possible on these select keypad devices.
Why WhatsApp is Limited on Keypad Phones
There are a few key technical reasons why WhatsApp’s functionality is restricted on keypad phones:
Lack of Touchscreen
WhatsApp’s interface is designed for touch input. Keypad phones lack touchscreens so the interface has to be changed significantly.
Slow Processors
Keypad phones often have slow processors that cannot handle resource intensive features like video calling, emojis etc. Optimized text-only versions are provided.
Low RAM/ROM
Many keypad phones have very limited RAM and internal storage which prevents features like media sharing from working well.
Slow 2G Connectivity
Most keypad phones are still on 2G networks which do not support data intensive features like sending photos/videos quickly.
Lack of Front Camera
Absence of front facing cameras means video calling cannot be supported on most keypad phones.
Older Software Platforms
Keypad phones run older operating systems that WhatsApp has to specially optimize its app for. This limits features.
So in summary, hardware and software limitations mean WhatsApp cannot provide full functionality on keypad phones. Only basic messaging services can be offered.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app, its availability and functionality on non-touchscreen keypad phones is limited due to hardware and software constraints. WhatsApp provides optimized text-only versions for select older Nokia Asha series phones, older Blackberry devices with QWERTY keyboards, and some budget Android Go phones with keypads.
On these devices, only basic text messaging is enabled. Multimedia sharing, voice/video calling, group chats, document sharing, emojis and other rich features are not supported. The user interface is also optimized for keypad input.
So for the full WhatsApp experience, a smartphone is still necessary. But the text-only versions do allow basic WhatsApp access on some legacy keypad devices with internet connectivity.