WhatsApp is apparently planning a clean-up campaign and will remove support for older iPhones before the end of the year. Those who do not want to or cannot update their system will probably have to do without the messenger starting this fall.
Although Apple usually offers updates for its iPhones over a very long period, there are some devices that do not run the latest iOS. Either because the iPhones are so old that they have fallen out of supply, or because users do not want to update their system or have forgotten to do so. However, exactly these users could have problems in the future if they want to use WhatsApp on their iPhone. Because the messenger adjusts its minimum requirement.
WhatsApp adjusts minimum requirement for iPhones
Currently, an iPhone must run at least iOS 10, so that the WhatsApp can be installed. But from October 24, 2022, that will change. Then iOS 12 is the minimum requirement for the messenger. So all users who do not have this or a higher iOS version installed on their iPhone then will no longer be able to use WhatsApp. WABetaInfo informs about this, but also the messenger itself.
On the official FAQ page of WhatsApp, it says in detail:
Currently, we offer support and recommend the use of the following devices:
- Android with iOS 4.1 and newer
- iPhone with iOS 12 and newer
- KaiOS 2.5.0 and newer, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2.
WhatsApp itself does not mention the specific date for the switchover, however, WABetaInfo came across a warning message during its research, which states October 24 as the date for the switchover.
These iPhones are affected
By and large, however, the WhatsApp switch should affect relatively few iPhone users. Most of them will operate their device with the current iOS. Only for the iPhone 5, Apple no longer offers an update to iOS 12, so it is no longer supported by WhatsApp. However, Apple had already introduced the iPhone 5 in September 2012, so it has been on the market for almost 10 years. The latest operating system for this model is currently iOS 10.3.4, so it is also advisable to exchange the iPhone 5 for a more recent model with regard to the lack of security patches.
Those who buy a new iPhone due to the change can easily transfer their WhatsApp chats to the new device. In the video we explain how this works:
Sources
- WABetaInfo
- WhatsApp FAQs
Topics
- iPhone
- Messenger