According to the published WABetaInfo screenshot, support for devices with iOS 10 and iOS 11 will be discontinued from October 24 this year. The fact that the minimum required features section of the frequently asked questions on the WhatsApp site is the iOS 12 operating system version also supports this assumption.

For models like the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C, iOS 12 is not available for installation, so they will stop receiving updates for WhatsApp in the fall of 2022. However, it’s unlikely that many people will be using the same iPhone 5 that was released in 2012.

WhatsApp will stop working on iOS 10 and iOS 11 / WABetaInfo screenshot

Why does WhatsApp stop working on old smartphones?

According to WABetaInfo, implementing support for new features emerging in WhatsApp requires refusing to support iOS versions that have lost their relevance. With an update to the latest version of iOS, the user can also access the latest security fixes in the operating system, so it is always recommended to update the iOS after the new version is released.

WhatsApp’s new feature

WhatsApp will expand the ability to use emoji reactions on the platform. “Quick reactions” for situations will appear in a future update. A similar feature is used on Instagram for quick replies to Stories.

Work continues on WhatsApp

The team is known to be currently working on other major improvements:

• Soon it will be possible to use the same account on different smartphones.
• Also recently there was information about the ability to add up to 32 users to voice chat.
• In addition, work is underway on subscriptions for business accounts that allow you to connect up to 10 devices, not 4, to a single account.