It is no secret that applications evolve. They gain functionality, they need more power and this gradually forces them to leave mobile phones behind. Yes, they do it with a certain sensitivity. They do not abandon last year’s versions or the one before, but they stop providing support for much, much older versions, enough so that the measure affects the fewest users possible. WhatsApp is no exception and, as in many other cases, it is likely that only a handful of users will be affected.

What happened. WhatsApp has updated its minimum requirements, specifically for iOS and iPhones. According to the company’s website, starting February 24, 2025 (not now, not next week, but next year), WhatsApp will only be compatible with devices running iOS 14.1 or later. As for Android, Android 5.0 or later is still the minimum requirement.

What does this mean? There are several iPhone models that will remain unsupported and will not be able to continue using the app. As Applesfera points out, the phones left out are the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus models, which were released on September 20, 2013, and October 19, 2014, respectively. We are talking about phones with a lifespan of around ten years.

So will this affect me? Probably not. Unless you have one of these three models, WhatsApp will continue to work as before, and the number of people affected by the end of support will likely be minimal.

Because? Because according to official Apple data (not counting iOS 18), 86% of all devices released in the last four years are running iOS 17. Only 11% are running iOS 16, and only 3% are running an older version. iOS 14.1, released in October 2020, is included in this 3%, along with iOS 15 and other versions.

In short, it is nothing to worry about.

Will I be able to continue using WhatsApp? Of course yes. If you have an iPhone 6S or newer, the answer is yes. But this does not mean that you have an updated mobile phone. Apple abandons devices as time goes by, and although applications continue to provide support for a while, sooner or later everything comes to an end. Before going any further, iOS 18 dropped the iPhone 8/8 Plus and iPhone X.

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