WhatsApp To Stop Working On Older Mobile Phones

Meta’s WhatsApp is ending support for 49 older Apple iPhones and Android handsets, from the end of the month.

Every year WhatsApp curtails its availability on older handsets, and this year it is no different, after the popular messaging app confirmed that it will stop working for millions of users still utilising older handhelds.

The good news is that users of these older phones will be sent an alert by WhatsApp, warning them before it stops working.

Support ending

“Devices and software change often, so we regularly review what operating systems we support and make updates,” said WhatasApp in a support webpage.

“To choose what to stop supporting, every year we, like other technology companies, look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest number of people still using them,” it said.

“These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp.”

“Before we stop supporting your operating system, you’ll be notified directly in WhatsApp ahead of time and reminded a few times to upgrade,” it said.

Older handsets

So what handsets will WhatsApp stop working on from 31 December?

Well according to the support document, WhatsApp will still run on devices that run Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and newer.

This means that some Android handsets from Samsung, Huawei and others will lose support for WhatsApp.

Meanwhile on the Apple iPhone side, WhatApp will continue to work on iOS 12 and newer.

From October, WhatsApp had stopped working on iPhones using iOS 11 and older versions of the OS.

For Apple users, this means that the iPhone 5 and 5C (released back in 2012) does not make the cut, as they do not support iOS 12.

If your device cannot run the updated mobile operating system, it may be time to consider upgrading to a new handset.

It should be remembered that after 31 December, the above handsets will no receive updates for WhatsApp – and eventually the app will stop working.