WhatsApp periodically drops support for older phones, so it’s no surprise that about 50 more devices won’t be able to run the popular messaging app this year. Also, this is the second time in the last three months that WhatsApp has removed a large part of Android and iOS devices from its support list.
Last fall, WhatsApp announced that devices such as the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus running iOS 9, as well as at least 40 Android devices from Samsung, Huawei, LG, and Sony, would no longer run the app. . This time WhatsApp has confirmed that it will no longer support 50 phones like iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c.
Other notable phones on the list include Huawei’s Ascend D series, Samsung’s Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Ace 2, and Sony’s Xperia Arc S.
Apple
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5c
Archos
- Archos 53 Platinum
ZTE
- ZTE Grand S Flex
- ZTE Grand X Quad V987
- ZTE Memo V956
HTC
- HTC Desire 500
Huawei
- Huawei Ascend D
- Huawei Ascend D1
- Huawei Ascend D2
- Huawei Ascend G740
- Huawei Ascend Mate
- Huawei Ascend P1
- Huawei Ascend D quad XL
Lenovo
- Lenovo A820
Sony
- Sony Xperia Arc S
- Sony Xperia miro
- Sony Xperia Neo L
LG
- LG Enact
- LG Lucid 2
- LG Optimus 4X HD
- LG Optimus F3
- LG Optimus F3Q
- LG Optimus F5
- LG Optimus F6
- LG Optimus F7
- LG Optimus L2 II
- LG Optimus L3 II
- LG Optimus L3 II Dual
- LG Optimus L4 II
- LG Optimus L4 II Dual
- LG Optimus L5
- LG Optimus L5 Dual
- LG Optimus L5 II
- LG Optimus L7
- LG Optimus L7 II
- LG Optimus L7 II Dual
- LG Optimus Nitro HD
Samsung
- Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
- Samsung Galaxy Core
- Samsung Galaxy S2
- Samsung Galaxy S3 mini
- Samsung Galaxy Trend II
- Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite
- Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2
Wiko
- Wiko Cink Five
- Wiko Darknight ZT
Why does WhatsApp stop supporting phones?
The main reason these phones won’t run WhatsApp anymore is that they haven’t been updated in a long time. WhatsApp seems to have increased its app requirements, so phones that aren’t running at least Android 5.0 Lollipop or iOS 12 won’t be able to use the app.
Currently, WhatsApp’s FAQ page mentions that the app supports Android phones running OS 4.1 and up. However, many of the phones that will lose support by the end of the year will be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, so the accuracy of this information cannot be fully confirmed.
Finally, it should be noted that most of the phones named in the new list have already been discontinued, so it makes sense for WhatsApp to stop supporting them and focus its resources elsewhere. Phones whose names are mentioned in this list will no longer be able to run WhatsApp from December 31.
