Some Smart Devices to Stop Supporting WhatsApp on December 31
WhatsApp will soon stop working on older phone models made by companies including Apple, Samsung, and Huawei.
The most widely used messaging app in the world, WhatsApp, will stop supporting 49 different smartphone models on December 31. The majority of the models on this list are entry-level and mid-range devices, as first reported by GizChina.
Because hardware and software are always evolving, WhatsApp said it frequently reviews the operating systems it supports and releases updates.
The most recent security updates may not be installed on some devices, or they may not have the features needed to run WhatsApp. Every year, like other technology businesses, "we look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest amount of people currently using them" to decide what to stop supporting.
Although the company won't provide updates for them, this doesn't mean WhatsApp will completely stop working on these older phones. As a result, bugs and other problems could appear over time without a solution.
Likewise, you won't be able to use any newly announced WhatsApp features.
If you can, you might be able to update your older device's operating system and keep using WhatsApp normally.
You will need to purchase a newer phone if your handset cannot be updated to a more recent operating system version.
The support for a sizable portion of Android and iOS devices is being phased out by WhatsApp for the second time in the last three months.
The last time this occurred was in October, when WhatsApp declared it would stop supporting 40 Android devices made by Samsung, Huawei, LG, Sony, ZTE, HTC, Lenovo, and Alcatel as well as the iPhone SE, 6S, and 6S Plus.
The Apple iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c are among the roughly 50 devices that WhatsApp will no longer support, according to a confirmation from the company this time. Samsung, Huawei, LG, Sony, Lenovo, and ZTE are among the other phone manufacturers on the list.
Following next week, the following smartphones won't be able to operate WhatsApp properly:
iPhone 5
Phone 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
WhatsApp advises using iOS 9 or later on Apple devices and Android v4.3 or later on mobile devices to continue receiving support.
After December 31, 2022, WhatsApp won't function correctly on any device running iOS 9 or lower or Android 4.3 or earlier. In February of this year, the platform already stopped providing support for mobile devices running iOS 8 and Android 2.3.7.