WhatsApp Will Stop Working On Several Android Phones, Older iPhones In 2021

With the introduction of several new features through the year, WhatsApp has constantly updated its app for both Android and iOS smartphones.

It is only natural that these updates make the older versions of the app obsolete and hence, WhatsApp has decided to discontinue such versions for some old smartphones.

Reuters

In a recent update on its FAQ page, the Facebook-owned chat app has confirmed that it will withdraw support for several Android and iOS devices starting next year. This will include any smartphone running on a version prior to Android 4.0.3 or iOS 9.

This means Android phones including Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Desire, LG Optimus Black and others will no longer be able to run WhatsApp. Similarly on the iOS side, iPhone 4 and earlier models will not support WhatsApp going into 2021. Any model above the iPhone 4 will have to run iOS 9 or higher to use WhatsApp.

(Representative Image: Reuters)

With the update, WhatsApp also confirms support for select devices with KaiOS 2.5.1 OS or newer. These include the likes of JioPhone and JioPhone 2.

The development replicates the annual practice by WhatsApp to push its users to the latest smartphone operating systems for the optimum experience. In a similar move, it withdrew support for Android 2.3.7 OS and lower as well as iOS 8 and lower at the beginning of 2020.

Users of the above mentioned smartphones or those working on the mentioned operating systems can backup their WhatsApp chats to the cloud, which can further be downloaded at a later time. Alternatively, they can export their chat history as an email attachment through the app.

With the updated app in the new year, WhatsApp is anticipated to push out several new features to its user base across the globe. These features include audio and video call support for WhatsApp Web, the ability to paste multiple images at once and more. Read all about these upcoming WhatsApp features here.