WhatsApp to stop working on old Apple, Samsung devices and more: Here’s a list of phones impacted

While brands like Huawei and LG have stopped selling phones in India, many are still using phones from these brands, and they are now compelled to upgrade to a newer smartphone, given they intend on using WhatsApp in the future. It’s not just WhatsApp, many apps also have similar policies, and with WhatsApp it’s much easier to identify, considering its three billion-plus users.

The list includes some of the highly popular smartphones from the early years of this decade such as the Apple iPhone 6 and the first-generation iPhone SE. Similarly, popular Samsung phones such as Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S3 Mini, and Galaxy S4 Mini users also need to upgrade to newer models to keep WhatsApp up and running.

Dated hardware and software is the reason

Smartphone makers support devices for only a few years. Due to software and hardware compatibility, developers like Meta optimise their apps for newer software versions. To run WhatsApp, you need a device with at least Android 5 Lollipop or iOS 12. While the report lists only popular smartphones, WhatsApp will likely stop working on more budget Android phones running Android 4 or older versions.

List of devices that will lose WhatsApp support soon

If you own one of these devices, we recommend upgrading before WhatsApp stops working, as transferring data from an old device to a new one will be difficult once WhatsApp is disabled. To ensure a smooth data transfer, back up your chats on Google Drive.