Users holding onto very old iPhones for basic functionality might need to upgrade because WhatsApp will soon stop working on several models.
A website investigating app beta versions has found that an upcoming version of Meta’s WhatsApp will disable three iPhone models.
“WhatsApp for iOS will no longer be compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus,” WABetainfo said. It added that support for the phones will end in May 2025.
These models are out in the cold due to their lack of support for iOS 15.1, which will become a prerequisite for the messaging software.
The current version of WhatsApp, released in 2018, requires only iOS 12.0. Apple announced the cessation of support for the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus in 2021, coinciding with the release of iOS 15.1 that year.
A beta version of WhatsApp includes a warning screen notifying users of older iPhones that their devices will soon lose support
“WhatsApp will stop supporting this version of iOS after 5 May 2025,” it reads.
The most recent models in this group, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, are now just over a decade old. They have had a good run and if you were to apply the best security practices, you wouldn’t be using one of these old phones anyway.
Apple's most recent security update for its phones was issued on January 23, 2023. They are an important part of keeping an iPhone, or any phone, able to contend with today’s security vulnerabilities. Of course, even these don’t keep you safe from dodgy links sent over SMS.
While the WhatsApp team may prefer leveraging software features available in iOS 15.1 but absent in the older iOS 12, dropping support for outdated models is likely driven by the dwindling number of users still relying on such ancient iPhones.
