While WhatsApp has been working on new features for its app on Android and iOS, the company has announced an impactful change for older smartphones recently. The Facebook-owned messaging giant, much like last year, announced that WhatsApp will only be compatible with smartphones running Android 4.1 or above, iOS 10 or above, and KaiOS 2.5.1 or above, starting from November 1, 2021.
So, here is a list of older devices that will stop supporting WhatsApp starting from the said date. If your device is on the list, be sure to read the article till the end.
List of WhatsApp-Incompatible Smartphones
Apple
Starting from November, WhatsApp will stop supporting iPhones running iOS 9. So, Apple devices that cannot be updated to iOS 10 will be incompatible with WhatsApp. Currently, this only includes the iPhone 4S that launched back in 2011.
Other iPhone models such as the iPhone SE (2016), iPhone 6S, and 6S Plus that shipped with iOS 9 can be updated to the latest iOS 15 to support WhatsApp.
Samsung
Samsung smartphones that will be unable to run WhatsApp from November include:
Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite
Galaxy Trend II
Galaxy SII
Galaxy S3 mini
Galaxy Xcover 2
Galaxy Core
Galaxy Ace 2.
Sony
The Sony devices that will stop supporting WhatsApp later this year will be:
Sony Xperia Miro
Sony Xperia Neo L
Xperia Arc S.
Huawei
You can check out the list of Huawei devices that will be unable to run WhatsApp right below.
Huawei Ascend G740
Ascend Mate
Ascend D Quad XL
Ascend D1 Quad XL
Ascend P1 S
Ascend D2.
ZTE
The ZTE models that cannot be upgraded to Android 4.1 to support WhatsApp are:
ZTE Grand S Flex
ZTE V956
Grand X Quad V987
Grand Memo.
LG
The list of LG devices that will stop supporting WhatsApp from November is pretty long. You can check it out right below.
LG Lucid 2
Optimus F7
Optimus F5
Optimus L3 II Dual
Optimus F5
Optimus L5
Optimus L5 II
Optimus L5 Dual
Optimus L3 II
Optimus L7
Optimus L7 II Dual
Optimus L7 II
Optimus F6
Enact
Optimus L4 II Dual
Optimus F3
Optimus L4 II
Optimus L2 II
Optimus Nitro HD
4X HD
Optimus F3Q.
Other Smartphones
Alcatel One Touch Evo 7
Archos 53 Platinum
HTC Desire 500
Caterpillar Cat B15
Wiko Cink Five
Wiko Darknight
Lenovo A820
UMi X2
Faea F1
THL W8.
So, these are the smartphones that will no longer support WhatsApp, starting from November 1 this year.
What Can You Do After November 1?
So, if your device is on this list and you are active on WhatsApp, be sure to back up the chats to Google Drive or iCloud before the said date to keep your messages and media files intact. However, if you want to keep using WhatsApp, unfortunately, you will have to pay the extra bucks and upgrade your device. Then, you can restore your chats on the new device to continue using the messaging service. Otherwise, you can try WhatsApp alternatives that support Android 4.0 or iOS 9 for your messaging needs.