As of January 1, WhatsApp will stop supporting its application on 47 smartphones, including iPhones, models from Samsung and some from Huawei. We take stock.
WhatsApp messaging // Source: Unsplash – Christian Wiediger
In order to ensure the best possible software monitoring despite the addition of new functionalities, most applications are gradually abandoning the support of old smartphones. This is obviously also the case with WhatsApp, which only provides follow-up over a few years.
As reported by the Phone Arena site, the messaging application will no longer ensure compatibility with several models from Apple, Samsung, Huawei, HTC or LG after December 31. In detail, here is the complete list of smartphones that will no longer be tracked at the start of 2023:
Apple iPhone 5 Apple iPhone 5c Archos 53 Platinum HTC Desire 500 Huawei Ascend D Huawei Ascend D1 Huawei Ascend D2 Huawei Ascend Mate Huawei Ascend Mate Huawei Ascend P1 Huawei Ascend D Quad XL 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 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 Sony Xperia Arc S Sony Xperia Mirror Sony Xperia Neo L Wiko Cink Five Wiko Darknight ZT ZTE Grand S Flex ZTE Grand X Quad V987 ZTE Memo V9
These are mainly entry-level or mid-range smartphones, or particularly old smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy S2, released in 2011, or the iPhone 5, announced in 2012.
An end of support to focus on newer smartphones
On its website, WhatsApp also specifies that compatible smartphones must necessarily operate on a version higher than Android 4.1. The messaging service also specifies that it “regularly stops supporting old operating systems to devote [ses] resources to support the latest systems.
This is not the first time this year that WhatsApp has announced the end of support for certain smartphones. As Phone Arena recalls, the Meta group’s messaging service announced in October that it would stop supporting more than 40 Android smartphones in addition to certain iPhones that are more recent than the iPhone 5 and 5c: the iPhone SE, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.
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