WhatsApp will stop working on some old Android smartphones starting from September 8, 2026. The news particularly concerns devices using Android 5.0 or 5.1, two versions of the operating system that are now too old to meet the minimum requirements that the messaging app requires to be installed and used. If you have a smartphone that still runs with these old versions of the “green robot” on board, you have little time left to check the version of Android installed and secure your chats.
The models involved, however, are the older ones, such as the Galaxy Ace 4, the LG devices of the Optimus line and the old Sony Xperia models. The change affects both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business. The two applications in fact share the same source code and, consequently, the new minimum requirement affects both.
If you are an Apple user, however, the news doesn’t affect you in the slightest, at least not at the moment. WhatsApp will continue to support iPhones with iOS 15.1 or later versions and iPads with iPadOS 15.1 or later versions until November 30, 2026. After that date, iPhones and iPads will also need to be updated to slightly more recent versions of the software, to be precise iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5.
Why WhatsApp will end support on older versions of Android
When WhatsApp decides to cut ties with a version of Android (or even iOS), the question many ask is why do such a thing. The answer lies in the fact that the messaging platform developed by Meta must maintain a certain balance between the release of new functions and the technical characteristics of the many supported devices. Every time WhatsApp develops a new feature, the app development team must ensure that it can also work on older versions of Android. And, you understand well, that the older an operating system is, the greater the risk that some technologies and functions become problematic, so to speak. Continuing to provide support for very old devices can therefore make application development more difficult and expensive.
WhatsApp for Android currently requires Android 5.0 as a minimum requirement. With the update scheduled for September 8, however, the minimum requirement will be Android 6.0 and this means that all previous versions of the operating system will no longer be supported. Simply put, therefore, if your smartphone works with Android 5.0 or Android 5.1, from 8 September onwards you will no longer be able to use WhatsApp on that device.
The app is already informing affected users through a notification displayed directly within it. Also on this support page on the WhatsApp website it announces the same thing, as you can appreciate from the following screenshot.
What to do to save your chats before September 8th
If you have an old phone with Android 5.0 or 5.1, you should worry about securing your chats before September 8th. You can do this by first making a backup of your conversation history directly from your WhatsApp settings.
To continue using WhatsApp after the end of support you will need to update the operating system, if your device allows it, or switch to a compatible smartphone with a more recent version of Android. To check the operating system version, simply access the phone settings and select the “About phone” option.
The second possibility becomes necessary when the manufacturer does not make updates available for your model. And doing so, to be honest, not only serves to satisfy the minimum requirement to use WhatsApp, but also increases your IT security, given that old versions of an operating system could be more vulnerable to cyber attacks.
