If you are an iPhone user and using some older variant- then there is bad news at the edge. It has been reported that in the coming days, if you are using an older variant of iPhone [with older iOS], then WhatsApp might not work on the platform. Hence, an immediate upgrade latest version of iOS, if you are willing to have access to the instant messaging platform.
What will happen if you do not update your iOS?
If you are not willing to update your iOS device, then you might lose access to WhatsApp- or else the consequences will be- the instant messaging app will soon stop working on the outdated iPhones from Diwali onwards.
As per the recent update from Apple, the iPhone devices running on iOS 10 and iOS 11 will stop supporting WhatsApp from October 24. The instant messaging platform has already started to notify its iPhone users about the move.
How to continue using WhatsApp on your iPhone?
It is simple, you will have to update the iOS device you own, to have access. As per WhatsApp's Help Center page, iOS 12 and above will only be supporting the app, and it was noticed, that there were not many iPhones which were running on the iOS 10 and iOS 11 software versions.
Apple iPhone 5 or iPhone 5C will be able to use the application after updating both iOS and WhatsApp, both. But if you are using the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S- the app will not support the device, and certainly, you will have to update the device for sure.
The latest WhatsApp updates do not support the older OS version and devices.
What about Android OS for WhatsApp?
For Android devices, the latest WhatsApp will be supporting Android 4.1 and above version- to continue using the app on their devices.
How to update your iPhone
If your iPhone is not set for auto-update, here is how you can update to the newest version of iOS: Here are the steps to follow:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on General
- Then tap Software Update and you will be done
Where to buy a new iPhone from?
If you are willing to upgrade your iPhone, then here is the time to get a good deal on Amazon and Flipkart on the range of iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.
Latest Technology News
The popular instant messaging app WhatsApp was updated this week with a change that will impact some users who still have old phones. The latest version of the app has dropped support for iOS 9, which means it will no longer work on iPhone 4s.
Starting with version 2.21.50 of WhatsApp for iPhone, which is now available on the App Store, the app requires iOS 10 or later to run. As the iPhone 4s cannot be updated to iOS 10, users who still own one of these iPhones will no longer be able to use the app.
According to a new support article published on the official WhatsApp website, these are the new requirements to install the app:
- Android running OS 4.0.3 and newer
- iPhone running iOS 10 and newer
- Select phones running KaiOS 2.5.1 newer, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2
The last time the app was updated to remove support for older phones was in February 2020 with a version that dropped support for iOS 8. However, as the iPhone 4 was discontinued with iOS 7, iPhone 4s users could still update to iOS 9 in order to keep using WhatsApp. Now this is no longer possible.
WhatsApp Messenger for iOS 2.21.50 is available now on the App Store.
• It drops the iOS 9 support.
• The new archive is not available yet. //t.co/cFKMpctZRH— WABetaInfo [@WABetaInfo] March 15, 2021
If you’re still using WhatsApp on an unsupported device, we recommend that you export all your chat history before the app stops working completely.
H/T: MacMagazine
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About the Author
Filipe Espósito
@filipeesposito
Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.