WhatsApp will soon stop working on some older iPhones

WhatsApp is expected to stop working on older iPhone models later this year.

The world’s most popular messaging app is ending support for previous versions of iOS, meaning all phones that can’t be updated will lose support.

According to a note from well-known WhatsApp monitoring site WABetaInfo, the app will be discontinued on iOS 10 and iOS 11 in October 2022.

As a result, WhatsApp will urge anyone still using that version of the operating system to update their phone by the October 24 deadline.

For example, if you are using an iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or 6s, you can continue to use WhatsApp as these devices can be updated.

However, if you’re still using an iPhone 5 or 5c (which are over a decade old at this point), you’ll need to buy a new phone. Apple stopped supporting these iPhones a while ago, so they can’t update past iOS 10.

In a support document, WhatsApp itself recommends using it on iPhones running at least iOS 12.

The app is notorious for updating its system requirements which may render old phones unsupported.

And although the iPhone 5 models are getting on in years, over two billion people worldwide use WhatsApp. So at least some people need to start looking for a new device.

“Devices and software change frequently, so we regularly review which operating systems we support and make updates,” explains WhatsApp in its support article.

“To decide what to deprecate, every year like other tech companies, we look at which devices and software are the oldest and least used.

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

Metro.co.uk has reached out to WhatsApp for comment.

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