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[SITUATION] · [QUIET] · [TECHNOLOGY]
3 clusters · 15 sources · 7 days · First seen · Last updated
WhatsApp minimum operating system requirement updates
Overview
Meta has implemented new minimum technical and security requirements for WhatsApp, resulting in the service becoming unavailable on several older smartphone models. The company stated these updates are necessary to implement “advanced privacy tools, data encryption, and artificial intelligence features” and to keep pace with security protocols.
As of September 8, 2026, support for older Android devices has officially ended. Users running Android 5.0 or 5.1 (Lollipop) can no longer send or receive messages, nor can they make voice or video calls. The platform now requires at least Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) to maintain service. This affects both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business, impacting older hardware such as the Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 Mini, and Note 2, alongside various Motorola, LG, Huawei, and Sony Xperia models.
Similar restrictions for Apple users are scheduled for November 2026. To ensure continued access, iPhone users must be running iOS 15.5 or a more recent version. Older models that cannot support these updates, including the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, and the iPhone 6 family, will lose access. Some reports indicate that access may be lost if devices cannot update to at least iOS 15.1.
Users on unsupported devices are advised to back up conversations and media via Google Drive, iCloud, or local storage to prevent data loss.
Entities
Timeline
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9 days ago
[TECHNOLOGY] 4 sourcesWhatsApp ends support for older Android and iOS versionsWhatsApp is discontinuing support for older operating systems, requiring Android 6.0 or iOS 15.1 and above to ensure security and performance.
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11 days ago
[TECHNOLOGY] 6 sourcesWhatsApp to end support for older Android and iOS devicesWhatsApp will stop supporting older Android and iOS devices starting in late 2026 to implement new security and AI features, affecting various legacy smartphone models.
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16 days ago
[TECHNOLOGY] 4 sourcesWhatsApp to end support for older Android and iOS devices in 2026WhatsApp will end support for older Android and iOS devices in 2026, requiring Android 6.0 or iOS 15.5 minimums to ensure security and support new features.
Sources
adslzone.net · androidsis.com · colombia.com · diario.mx · eldiariodechihuahua.mx · emisorasunidas.com · enter.co · fayerwayer.com · generation-nt.com · informaticien.be · jehat.net · lapatilla.com · que.es · tn.com.ar · visionrdn.com
This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history