As has been happening periodically for years now, WhatsApp has recently updated the supported devices from its app, and this means that some Android smartphones and some iPhones can no longer use the world’s number one messaging app. Is there reason to worry? Honestly no, because we’re talking about models so dated we imagine that the number of users who will actually be affected will be very low. Warning: this has nothing to do with the WhatsApp update, in the sense that you can also have the latest version, but this will no longer work on the phones in question.
For clarity, at this time, March 5, 2024, WhatsApp supports the following mobile devices:
- smartphone with Android 5.0 and subsequent
- iPhone with iOS 12 and subsequent
- Feature phone with KaiOS 2.5.0 and subsequent
In case you don’t remember, Android 5.0 came out in end of 2014while and iOS 12 a September 2018but considering how much more up-to-date iPhones are compared to Android, there isn’t much difference.
Here is the complete list of phones on which WhatsApp will no longer run: you probably won’t recognize a single one, or maybe you will say “I had it” about some, but you will hardly take one of the following models out of your pocket.
- iPhone 6S and 6S Plus
- First generation iPhone SE
- samsung Galaxy Core
- Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite
- Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
- Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini
- Samsung Galaxy Trend II
- Samsung Galaxy X2
- LG Optimus L3
- LG Optimus L5
- LG Optimus F5
- LG Optimus L3
- LG Optimus L7
- LG Optimus L5
- LG Optimus L7
- LG Optimus F3
- LG Optimus F3Q
- LG Optimus L2
- LG Optimus L4
- LG Optimus F6
- LG Ativar
- LG Lucid 2
- LG Optimus F7
- huawei Ascend Mate
- Huawei Ascend G740
- Huawei Ascend D2
- Sony Xperia M
- lenovo A820
- ZTE V956
- UMI X2
- ZTE Grand S Flex
- ZTE Big Memo
- Faea F1THL W8
- Wiko Cink Five
- Wiko Darknight
- Archos 53 Platinum
In short, it is not a question of laziness on the part of WhatsApp, but of abandoning to themselves devices that are no longer safe by their very nature, because it is their own operating system to be dated. In fact, using smartphones that are too old exposes the user to risks which the most recent models simply don’t have, and considering how much sensitive data travels every day on WhatsApp it is better to equip yourself with a device truly capable of protecting it.
In this regard, we can suggest our pages dedicated to the best smartphones under 200, under 300 and under 400 euros if you were looking for a new phone with good quality/price ratio.
