WhatsApp will stop working on a large portion of Android phones starting this November. Do not be surprised or alarmed, because it’s the same story every year. Many applications receive new updates and some old phones are incapable of offering support for those new features offered by the applications.
A lot of Android phones will not support WhatsApp starting this November
WhatsApp is very cautious about cutting ties with outdated Android versions. Even though, we have to say that some phones will lose support for the most popular messaging application in the world. That is related to their Android versions.
For now, WhatsApp is available for devices that have Android 4.0.4 or later. So any device with a version equal or lower will lose any possibility of updating from next November 1. It is the estimated release date for the new version of WhatsApp.
WhatsApp’s help center is even more specific and lists Android 4.1 or higher as a requirement to install or update the application on Android. In the case of iOS, which is also affected but to a much lesser extent, the limit is set at iOS 10 or higher. Some of the phone models that will be without WhatsApp next month are:
- Samsung Galaxy Galaxy Trend Lite, Galaxy Trend II, Galaxy SII, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy Xcover 2, Galaxy Core, and Galaxy Ace 2.
- LGLucid 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 L7 II, Optimus F6, Enact , Optimus L4 II Dual, Optimus F3, Optimus L4 II, Optimus L2 II, Optimus Nitro HD and 4X HD and Optimus F3Q.
- ZTE: Grand S Flex, ZTE V956, Grand X Quad V987 and Grand Memo.
- Sony Xperia Miro, Sony Xperia Neo L, Xperia Arc S.
- Archos 53 Platinum, HTC Desire 500, Caterpillar Cat B15, Wiko Cink Five, Wiko Darknight, Lenovo A820, UMi X2, Faea F1, and THL W8.
- Huawei Ascend Mate and Ascend D2Alcatel: One Touch Evo 7.
- Apple iPhone SE, 6S, and 6S Plus.
Of course, there are many more, but these are some of the most popular. However, according to the new requirements, WhatsApp will still be able to work on phones running Android 4.1, available since the end of 2012. In the case of iOS, version 10 was released in 2016, but Apple has offered much more extensive support for its devices, so everything is even: only those who still use an iPhone from 2011 are left without WhatsApp.
Facebook can be criticized for many things, but applying planned obsolescence with WhatsApp is not one of them.
