Whatsapp will stop working on these Android phones, iPhones by next month

WhatsApp

WhatsApp will withdraw support from more than 50 smartphones starting November 1 due to their operating system being too outdated for the chat app to work properly. Here is a list of these devices which will lose this support.

With the year in its final quarter, WhatsApp's annual upgrade to its phone support is ready to roll out soon. Starting November, the chat app will withdraw supports for some of the oldest devices that currently run WhatsApp. Users of such smartphones are hence urged to upgrade their device to a new one, in order to retain their WhatsApp account.

WhatsApp had earlier released a list of devices that will become incompatible for running WhatsApp after November, The list pans across iOS, Android and other operating systems (OS) ecosystems. So no matter which company's phone you use, if it is too old, you should look through this list with a keen eye.

In terms of OS compatibility, WhatsApp says that its app will only run on Android version 4.1 and newer from November 1. For iPhones, this limit has been set to iOS 10 and newer versions. Similarly, KaiOS 2.5.0 and newer, as well as JioPhone and JioPhone 2 will run WhatsApp going forward.

WhatsApp recommends its users to update their device or its operating system till the date to continue using the app's services. Of course, there are smartphones that do not receive Android or iOS updates from their OEMs now and hence cannot be updated. This means users of such smartphones will have to upgrade to a new smartphone eventually.

Note that the withdrawal of support does not meant that the app will stop working immediately on these smartphones. Instead, the company will stop releasing security and feature updates on these devices, which will eventually lead them unable to use the chat app. So those wondering if their old phone falls in this category, here is a look at the list.

List of smartphones losing WhatsApp support

Starting with the iPhones, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S plus and iPhone SE will not be supported by WhatsApp going forward. All later iPhone models have an upgraded iOS that will still function with WhatsApp properly. The Android group, on the other hand, has a large list of phones of different make that will be too old for WhatsApp in a month.

This includes seven Samsung phones, like Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite, Galaxy Trend II, Galaxy SII, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy Xcover 2, Galaxy Core and Galaxy Ace 2. Four ZTE devices will lose support as well, including ZTE Grand S Flex, ZTE V956, Grand X Quad V987 and Grand Memo.

Many LG devices are on the brink too. The list includes Lucid 2, Optimus F7, Optimus F5, Optimus L3 II Dual, Optimus F5, Optimus L5, Best L5 II, Optimus L5 Dual, Best L3 II, Optimus L7, Optimus L7 II Dual, Best L7 II, Optimus F6, Enact, Optimus L4 II Dual, Optimus F3, Best L4 II, Best L2 II, Optimus Nitro HD, Optimus 4X HD and Optimus F3Q.

Sony Xperia Miro, Xperia Neo L and Xperia Arc S will also be outdated for WhatsApp post-November 1. Other smartphones in the list include those of Huawei, Alcatel, Lenovo, THL and more.

Users of these devices are advised to back up their chat data before the mentioned date. In case they do not switch the smartphone post the date, their account can still be activated by logging onto another device at any time in the future.

People who own an Android phone and want to continue using WhatsApp after November 1 can update it by following several steps.

How to update an Android phone to the latest operating system

First, they will need to connect their device to a reliable wifi signal, after that, open the settings tab and select “About phone”, which should have the option to “check for updates” when a new operating system is available.

All they have to do is click on the “Install Now” or “Install Overnight” option.

How to update iPhone to the latest operating system

Updating an iPhone is quite simple, but people need to keep their phones plugged in.

Users need to open the Settings tab, then click General and Software Update.

They may have more than one option available, from which they can choose or install together.

iPhones also come with an option to allow automatic updates. This option can be found by reopening the “Software Update” tab in Settings.

They can turn on automatic updates by clicking on the option there and selecting the “Download iOS updates” and “Install iOS updates” toggles.

Clicking it will allow automatic updates, but some changes may require manual installation