Bug made WhatsApp 'obsolete' for some users: Here's the fix
What's the story
Details
Users stuck in a Catch-22 situation due to WhatsApp bug
The app was apparently asking to be updated with the message, "This version of WhatsApp became obsolete on 13 Jan, 2018. Please go to the Google Play Store and download the latest version."
However, when users tried doing that, there were no updates available on the Play Store.
Some tried leaving its beta testing program or re-installing the app altogether, but to no avail.
Fix
Third-party app distribution responsible for the bug: WhatsApp
The problem mostly seems to exist on Xiaomi phones.
Assuring that the bug is being fixed, WhatsApp said, "It was a problem with how our app is distributed, which is not under our control."
According to a report, users can also try the following: Go to Settings > enable automatic date and time > automatic time zone > kill all apps > relaunch WhatsApp.
Background
WhatsApp stops working for second time in two weeks
The same issue had affected some users in the first week of January as well.
Further, recently on New Year's Eve, the app had suffered a global outage affecting locations like Europe, India, Malaysia, and parts of the US and Africa, leaving many users frustrated and with the hashtag #WhatsAppDown.
The services were restored shortly.