Later this year, WhatsApp will stop working on select iPhones, but only if they're ancient. The company recently started notifying users that it'll no longer support devices running software older than iOS 12.

If you or your child is still rocking something like an iPhone 5 from nearly a decade ago, WhatsApp will stop working on the device later this year. According to the site WABetaInfo, the company recently started alerting users running iOS 10, or iOS 11 that support will end in the fall.

To be more specific, come October 24th, 2022, WhatsApp will only work with iOS 12 or newer devices. So any devices running older software will stop working with WhatsApp. The company confirmed this news thanks to a post on its support page. Essentially, as long as you have an iPhone 5S or newer, you'll be fine, but anything older, like an iPhone 5 or iPhone 5C, will be out of luck.

Related: The 6 Best Group Chat Apps for Teams, Coworkers, or Friends

If you have an older iOS device that runs iOS 10 or iOS 11, the app will stop working entirely until you update the software or update to a new device. If you have an iPhone 5S or newer, make sure you're running (or get) the latest software from Apple.

Unfortunately, any iPhone older than the iPhone 5C is no longer supported by Apple and will not receive further updates. This means you'll need to buy a new iPhone or use a different messaging service.

For what it's worth, it's pretty standard for app developers to end support for older operating systems eventually. This ensures features work across the latest device, improves security, and maintains the technology. For example, WhatsApp did something similar last year with iOS 9, and we can expect a similar move in 2023 for iOS 12.

via XDA Developers