WhatsApp will soon drop support for older smartphones. Starting November 1, 2021, the popular messaging app will no longer support devices running anything older than Android 4.1 and iPhones running older than iOS 10.
They recently updated their Help Center, which added the news. The company recommends switching to supported devices before it happens.
For Android users, this means you’re out of luck if you’re running on Android 4.0.4 or lower. That version is Ice Cream Sandwich, which Google last updated in 2012 before it released Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. To check the version of your Android phone, go to Settings> About Phone.
Apple, on the other hand, has a strong record of updating older iPhones to at least iOS 10. To date, that list includes the following devices: iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE (1st-gen), iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd-gen), iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
SEE ALSO: Facebook Messenger adds sound emojis to chats called Soundmojis
If users do decide to upgrade their devices, WhatsApp suggests users to backup or save their chat history. To do this, go to WhatsApp> More Options (the three dots)> Settings> Chats> Chat backup> Back up.
Users can also export a copy of their chat as text document (*.txt).
