WhatsApp will increase the system requirements on October 24th. Messenger will then be switched off on older cell phones. Models from Samsung, Xiaomi and Google are also affected.
The clock is ticking. As of October 24, WhatsApp will no longer be usable on some cell phones. (Source: FlashDevelop / depositphotos.com / Facebook / Montage: netzwelt.de)
WhatsApp currently requires at least a cell phone with Android 4.1 or iOS 12. Android 5.0 will soon be the minimum requirement. Messenger will then be switched off on older cell phones that no longer support the version. Corresponding rumors have been around for months, and WhatsApp has now confirmed them in an FAQ on the website.
Accordingly, the new system requirements apply the 24th October. The new beta version of the messenger for Android phones no longer runs on older Android versions. Nothing changes for iPhone users. iOS 12 minimum requirement remains here.
However, the change should not have a major impact on you. According to the online magazine 9to5Google, only 0.7 percent of all Android devices worldwide still run Android 4.4 KitKat, which will soon no longer be supported.
These phones will soon no longer be supported
The messenger does not publish any information on which models WhatsApp will no longer be usable from October. With the variety of Android phones on the market, this seems almost impossible. So that you don’t feel in the dark, we have compiled the following list of affected models based on our Android update schedule and further research. It does not claim to be complete:
Google
Huawei
- Huawei Ascend D1
- Huawei Ascend D2
- Huawei Ascend G740
- Huawei Ascend P1
- Huawei Ascend P6
- Huawei Ascend Mate
LG
- LG Optimus 4X HD
- LG Optimus F3
- LG Optimus F3Q
- LG Optimus F5
- LG Optimus F6
- LG Optimus F7
- LG Optimus L5
- LG Optimus L2 II
- LG Optimus L3 II (Dual)
- LG Optimus L4 II (Dual)
- LG Optimus L5 II (Dual)
- LG Optimus L7
- LG Optimus L7 II (Dual)
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
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom
- Samsung Galaxy Young Duos
- Samsung Galaxy Mega
- Samsung Galaxy Note 2
- Samsung Galaxy S3
Sony
- Sony Xperia SP
- Sony Xperia Arc S
- Sony Xperia Miro
- Sony Xperia Neo L
xiaomi
- Xiaomi Mi2s
- Xiaomi Redmi Note
Other
- Archos 53 Platinum
- CAT B15
- CAT B15Q
- HTC One X
- HTC One X+
- ZTE Grand S Flex
However, all the models mentioned are now almost ten years or older. As already mentioned, we estimate the number of affected users to be very low. Because of the WhatsApp shutdown, you probably don’t have to get a new Android phone. But this is necessary if you own one of these cell phones here. Because these will soon no longer be supplied with software updates by the manufacturer.
Why is WhatsApp increasing the system requirements?
From time to time, WhatsApp increases its system requirements and thus excludes older cell phones from using the messenger. There are two reasons for this: On the one hand, the devices are no longer powerful enough to run some new functions on them, on the other hand, older models also endanger the security of the messenger. After all, cell phones are no longer supplied with updates by the manufacturer.
Also interesting…
WhatsApp last increased its system requirements in October 2022. Back then, devices running iOS 10 and 11 were banned from Messenger. The last change to Android was almost two years ago. In November 2021, phones running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich or earlier were banned from Messenger.
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