Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

WhatsApp ends support for millions of smartphones around the world

By

WhatsApp is no longer supported on millions of phones around the world, as the Facebook-owned messaging service moves away from older operating systems.

Recommended Videos

According to an online FAQ on its official website, WhatsApp only supports iPhones running iOS 9 or later, Android smartphones running version 4.0.3 or later, and certain phones powered by KaiOS 2.5.1 or later, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2. This includes most people using the service on recently released smartphones with updated operating systems.

However, WhatsApp said that owners of smartphones on Android version 2.3.7 or earlier and iOS 8 or earlier will only be able to continue using the service until February 1.

According to Google’s distribution dashboard, which was last updated in May 2019, 0.3% of the 2.5 billion (75 million if you’re counting) Android device owners in the world were still on Gingerbread 2.3.7 or earlier. Apple does not disclose how many iPhone owners have still not updated from iOS 8 or earlier though.

The relatively simple solution for affected Android devices and iPhone owners is to upgrade to the latest version of their respective mobile operating systems. This will not only re-enable WhatsApp but will also provide necessary security updates to protect their smartphones from various vulnerabilities while adding the latest features that Google and Apple have developed.

Unfortunately, for people who own very old Android devices and iPhones, upgrading the operating system may not be an option. For example, the iPhone 4s is no longer compatible for versions beyond iOS 7. In this case, affected people will have no choice but to buy a more modern smartphone in order to keep using WhatsApp.

“WhatsApp clearly had no option but to ensure its service remains secure, however, it faces the difficult side-effect that the app is no longer compatible with older smartphones,” CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood told BBC regarding the move, which the service announced would happen in 2017.

According to Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence Data Digest, WhatsApp was the most downloaded app in 2019 with more than 850 million downloads, ahead of surging TikTok in second place with more than 700 million downloads.

Telegram Messenger’s founder, Pavel Durov, however, recently published a scathing blog post against WhatsApp, claiming that the service was “dangerous” to use due to security vulnerabilities.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
There’s a big problem with the iPhone’s Photos app
The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

While my primary device these days continues to be my iPhone 15 Pro, I’ve dabbled with plenty of Android phones since I’ve been here at Digital Trends. One of my favorite brands of phone has been the Google Pixel because of its strong suite of photo-editing tools and good camera hardware.

Google first added the Magic Eraser capability with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which is a tool I love using. Then, with the Pixel 8 series, Google added the Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to make edits that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. There are also tools like Photo Unblur, which is great for old photographs and enhancing images that were captured with low-quality sensors.

Read more
When will Apple release iOS 18? Here’s what we know
An iPhone 14 laying face-down on a wood table.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will start on Monday, June 10. During the conference keynote, the company is expected to unveil new software updates for its major products, including iOS 18 for iPhones.

iOS 18 is expected to be a major iPhone update, likely ushering in a new design and AI features. If you are wondering when you can get your hands on the latest software version, here's everything you need to know about iOS 18's release date.
When will the iOS 18 beta be released?

Read more
Everything you need to know about the massive Apple App Store outage
App Store on-screen illustration

Happy Wednesday evening, everyone! You're unwinding for the day, getting ready for a relaxing night, and ... you realize that the App Store and a bunch of other Apple services aren't working. Don't worry, you aren't alone.

What Apple services are down? When did the problems start? Is the outage still ongoing? Here's everything you need to know.
When did the App Store outage start?
According to DownDetector, reports of outages with the App Store flooded in a little after 6 p.m. ET. Reports appear to have spiked at over 6,000, indicating pretty widespread problems.

Read more