WhatsApp has announced that users of smart phones with cracked screens will notice an inability to use WhatsApp from Monday next week.
The company, owned by Facebook, released a statement saying "damaged screens do not allow our platform to be appreciated as intended. We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars optimizing the look and feel of our beloved messaging app and we'll do anything to preserve our aesthetic integrity."
The true reason for the drastic move has been blamed on Facebook's poorer than expected financial performance, according to market analysts. The company's slowing growth means that chasing new business is a key priority, as insinuated later in WhatsApp's statement:
"Our platform brings people together and always will. But when that experience is disrupted by unseemly cracks across the screen, it divides people. It is also a revolting advert of our product to anyone who has not seen WhatsApp before. Why would they want to share something with a friend, only for it to appear broken and hideous? No. We stand for basic decency."
WhatsApp said it will be removing support for the app on all these devices unless a penalty charge of $0.70 per damaged device was paid every day until a new screen or phone was in use.
Users were said to be sharing the distressing news via WhatsApp with friends and family whilst they still could.
As one twitter user put it, "I feel a deep shame because it's not as though i don't care for my phone, i'm just clumsy. Before the end i will be sharing as many photos of my cat and dick as possible #whatsappening"