WhatsApp is about to make a dramatic change in its popular chat service, which will leave some iPhone users blocked from sending and receiving any messages. It’s no secret that the meta-owned company updates things from time to time with older operating systems, which sometimes lose compatibility with the platform. Now the next batch of iPhones has been announced that will stop working and this is bad news for anyone who has an iPhone 5 or a color 5c in their pocket.
As noted by the WABetainfo team, WhatsApp is starting to warn some users that their devices will stop working from October 2022.
This is because Apple’s iOS 12 will be the minimum requirement for devices this fall, and both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c can’t launch this software newer software.
The WhatsApp warning warns: “Update to the latest version of iOS to continue using WhatsApp. WhatsApp will stop supporting this version of iOS after October 24, 2022. “
Along with this iPhones pop-up, WhatsApp has also updated its support page, which now reads: “We currently provide support and recommend the use of the following devices: Android with OS 4.1 and later, iPhone with iOS 12 and later .
READ MORE: WhatsApp has just released the biggest upgrade in years! Check your phone for these new features
So why is WhatsApp making this change?
It is not uncommon for a company to refuse support for older devices, as the company needs to focus on upgrades that will be available to most of its users. As phones get older, fewer and fewer people use them, so it makes business sense to stop pushing updates.
WhatsApp says it is looking at what devices to support each year and it seems that in 2022 this is the end of everything that works with iOS 10 or iOS 11.
“Devices and software change frequently, so we regularly review what operating systems we maintain and update,” WhatsApp said.
“To choose what to stop maintaining, every year we, like other technology companies, look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the smallest number of people still using them. These devices may also not have the latest security updates or may lack the functionality needed to launch WhatsApp. “
If you have an iPhone 5 or 5c and love WhatsApp, then you have five months left before you have to buy something new.
Here are all iPhones that are compatible with iOS 12 and later:
iPhone 5S
iPhone 6/6 Plus
iPhone 6S / 6S Plus
iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPhone 7/7 Plus
iPhone 8/8 Plus
iPhone X
iPhone XS / XS Max
iPhone XR
IPhone 11 range
IPhone 12 range
IPhone 13 range
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