Some WhatsApp users are facing being blocked from the popular chat app.
If you own an older iPhone, you may soon find that it’s no longer compatible with WhatsApp. That’s according to the usually reliable team at WAbetaInfo who say they have spotted a message warning some users that their device is about to lose access to the hugely popular chat app,
“WhatsApp will stop supporting this version of iOS after 5 May 2025. Please go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update to get the latest iOS version,” the warning that’s popped up on some screens reads.
With over 3 billion users worldwide, this is clearly a worrying update, but as long as you have a relatively new iPhone in your pocket, you should be fine.
It appears the upcoming block, which will come into force from next spring, will affect iPhones that can’t update to iOS 15.1 or later. This will mainly impact owners of call makers including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus which were all launched over 10 years ago.
Those still using an iPhone 6 or 5s now have 6 months to switch to something new or lose access to their WhatsApp chats.
According to WAbetaInfo, “One of the main reasons for this change is that newer versions of iOS include updated APIs and improved technologies that WhatsApp relies on to deliver new features. By not supporting older versions, WhatsApp will be able to optimize the app and introduce new features that simply wouldn’t be possible with outdated operating systems.”
This might not be the only reason to update your iPhone. Apple is about to launch its Apple Intelligence upgrade which will bring a swathe of smart features to devices including automatic image editing, improved Siri and even the ability to write emails for you.
“In December, Apple Intelligence will be available for localised English in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K,” Apple recently confirmed in an update.
It will be available on iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max soon – watch this space.