WhatsApp is one of the world’s most popular chat apps, having been around since 2009. Over the years, it has managed to amass billions of users who use the platform to connect with family, friends, and workmates on a daily basis. Its early entry into the online chat space is what gave it the numbers it boasts today. While it may not be better than other apps like Telegram, it still dwarfs them by sheer numbers. This is likely why users of WhatsApp have never left the app – the majority of people, particularly in markets outside the US, use it, and switching to another chat app would be an inconvenience.
WhatsApp also often stops working on older devices as new ones are released. On December 31st, 2022, for instance, it was no longer working on more than 49 devices.
Specifically, iPhones running iOS 10 and iOS 11 lost access to the messaging app on October 24th, 2022, along with a number of older Android smartphones.
Although many people may have upgraded to newer devices, there are still some outdated smartphones in use.
Here is the full list of phones that no longer support WhatsApp:
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5c
- Archos 53 Platinum
- Grand S Flex ZTE
- Grand X Quad V987 ZTE
- HTC Desire 500
- Huawei Ascend D
- Huawei Ascend D1
- Huawei Ascend D2
- Huawei Ascend G740
- Huawei Ascend Mate
- Huawei Ascend P1
- Quad XL
- Lenovo A820
- LG Enact
- LG Lucid 2
- LG Optimus 4X HD
- LG Optimus F3
- LG 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
- Memo ZTE V956
- 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 miro
- Sony Xperia Neo L
- Wiko Cink Five
- Wiko Darknight ZT
As noted, some of these devices are old. For instance, the Galaxy S2 was released 12 years ago. This means it has outlived its usefulness. In fact, we would be surprised if there are people who are currently using the device (and others in this list) because it is a very old device.
If you are affected, just try to replace your phone with a modern one.
