WhatsApp periodically phases out older smartphones, so it’s no surprise that this year around 50 devices will no longer be able to run the messaging app.
This is the second time in the last three months that WhatsApp is phasing out support for a big chunk of Android and iOS devices.
This time around WhatsApp confirmed it will no longer support nearly 50 phones, including the Apple iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c. The rest of the phones on the list are made by Samsung, Huawei, LG, Sony, Lenovo, and ZTE.
The reason these phones will no longer be supported is that they haven’t been updated in a very long time. It looks like WhatsApp has upped the requirements for its app, so phones that don’t run at least Android 5.0 Lollipop or iOS 12.
Currently, WhatsApp’s FAQ still mentions that it supports Android phones running OS 4.1 and newer. However, many (if not all) of the phones that will lose WhatsApp support at the end of the year are running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, so we’re a bit on the fence regarding the accuracy of the information.
First reported by GizChina, the list includes mostly entry-level and mid-range smartphones. If you’re using one of these devices, you’ll probably want to upgrade to a newer phone to continue to use WhatsApp and receive new updates.
Apple
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5c
Archos
- Archos 53 Platinum
ZTE
- ZTE Grand S Flex
- ZTE Grand X Quad V987
- ZTE Memo V956
HTC
- HTC Desire 500
Huawei
- Huawei Ascend D
- Huawei Ascend D1
- Huawei Ascend D2
- Huawei Ascend G740
- Huawei Ascend Mate
- Huawei Ascend P1
- Huawei Ascend D quad XL
Lenovo
- Lenovo A820
LG
- 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
Samsung
- 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
- Sony Xperia Arc S
- Sony Xperia miro
- Sony Xperia Neo L
Wiko
- Wiko Cink Five
- Wiko Darknight ZT
The large majority of these phones have already been discontinued, so it makes sense for WhatsApp to reroute its resources to where they’re most needed. The phones listed above should no longer be able to run WhatsApp come December 31, theoretically. Of course, there are workarounds that will allow WhatsApp users with unsupported devices to continue to run the app, but this is just delaying the inevitable.
According to WhatsApp, whenever it chooses what to stop supporting, the company looks at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest number of people still using them. That means that even if your phone runs a much older Android version, it might still be supported if WhatsApp decides that there are still many people who use that particular phone.
That said, as Apple and Google continue to push out new iOS and Android updates, WhatsApp will do its part and phase out the older devices running its app. It’s just another way to convince users to upgrade to newer devices if they want to continue to receive the same level of support all other WhatsApp users are getting.