As of January 1, 2023, the WhatsApp mobile application will no longer be compatible with smartphones running certain older versions of iOS and Android. Rest assured, there is still little chance that you are affected.
In a few days, WhatsApp will only be compatible with iPhones powered by iOS 12 (or any other newer version) and with devices running Android Jelly Bean (4.1 and later). This excludes many models such as the iPhone 5 and 5c but also the Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3 mini, to name only the most popular.
As far as iPhones are concerned, WhatsApp will therefore only be supported by devices running at least iOS 12. In fact, owners of an iPhone 5, or any other model released before, will not be able to soon no longer use the application.
On the side of smartphones running Android, it will be necessary to have a version equivalent to or greater than Android 4.1 to be able to continue to enjoy WhatsApp. In this case, only very old models find themselves penalized, all released nearly 10 years ago.
“To keep pace with the latest technological advancements, we regularly stop supporting older operating systems to devote our resources to supporting the latest systems,” explains WhatsApp.
In any case, whatever your smartphone, don’t forget to update its operating system, to take advantage of the latest features offered by WhatsApp, with the best possible level of security.
The list of affected devices
iPhone 5
iPhone 5c
Archos 53 Platinum
Grand S Flex ZTE
Grand X Quad V987 ZTE
HTC Desire 500
Huawei Ascend D
Huawei Ascend D1
Huawei Ascend D2
Huawei Ascend G740
Huawei Ascend Mate
Huawei Ascend P1
Quad XL
Lenovo A820
LG Enact
LG Lucid 2
LG Optimus 4X HD
LG Optimus F3
LG Optimus F3Q
LG Optimus F5
LG Optimus F6
LG Optimus F7
LG Optimus L2 II
LG Optimus L3 II
LG Optimus L3 II Dual
LG Optimus L4 II
LG Optimus L4 II Dual
LG Optimus L5
LG Optimus L5 Dual
LG Optimus L5 II
LG Optimus L7
LG Optimus L7 II
LG Optimus L7 II Dual
LG Optimus Nitro HD
Memo ZTE V956
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
Samsung Galaxy Core
Samsung Galaxy S2
Samsung Galaxy S3 mini
Samsung Galaxy Trend II
Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2
Sony Xperia Arc S
sony xperia miro
Sony Xperia Neo L
Wiko Cink Five
Wiko Darknight ZT