WhatsApp Moves On: Users With iOS 11 or Below Should Upgrade Because They Won't Be Getting Support Come October

WhatsApp might be ending support for iOS 10 and 11 soon.

The company behind Meta's end-to-end encrypted instant messaging app will allegedly make the app for iPhone 5 and 5c no longer require any updates and unusable for the three iPhone models without them, per WABetaInfo.

A support article from WhatsApp seems to support this exclusion of the three iPhone models.

WhatsApp Support Ends for Old Devices

According to WABetaInfo's article, WhatsApp seems to have made a new notification that would prompt iPhone users to install the latest iOS update supported by their device before October 24.

iPhone models that could be updated to iOS 12 can continue to receive the app's new features through future updates. Still, those that could not, such as the previously listed iPhone models, will no longer receive updates due to their operating systems (iOS 10 and 11) already fully updated.

However, these phones may continue to use WhatsApp if it was previously installed before October 24.

Other older iPhone models, such as the iPhone5S, iPhone 6, and 6S, may continue enjoying WhatsApp, its latest security patches, and upcoming updates.

WhatsApp is almost certain to cut off support for the iPhone 5 and 5c due to the company wanting to introduce certain functionality that may not work on old operating systems, as it did time and again in the past.

The exclusion is also hinted at one of WhatsApp's support pages which shows that the company is providing support for iPhones running iOS 12 and newer, excluding iPhones running iOS 10 and 11.

According to the same WhatsApp page, the company looks at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest number of people still using them because devices might not have the latest security updates or lack the functionality required to run the app.

Engadget noted that the iPhone 5 and 5c are nearly a decade old by this time and that their exclusion won't affect too many people as they are usually hand-me-downs.

However, the devices whose operating systems would soon be dropped will be reminded by Whatsapp to upgrade their operating system ahead of time through a notification, which might already be in the works, as discussed earlier in the article.

How To Avoid WhatsApp's Exclusion

If you're one of the few still using an iPhone 5 or 5c, it may be time to upgrade your phone to a model WhatsApp still supports, such as the iPhone 5s and above.

The problem lies in the iPhone 5 and 5c's now-obsolete hardware and software, which is why WhatsApp discontinued support for them. Hence, a device upgrade or change is the only way to escape the coming support exclusion.

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