WhatsApp to stop functioning on older smartphones from January 2023

From January 2023, the well-known messaging app WhatsApp is set to stop functioning on older smartphones, prompting users to get an upgrade.

Forty-nine different brands, including the iPhone 5 and 5C, as well as some LG models, will be impacted by it. Users are expected to be notified of this change by the communication giant.

Addressing this issue, WhatsApp released a statement saying, “Devices and software change often, so we regularly review what operating systems we support and make updates. These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp.”

“To choose what to stop supporting, every year we, like other technology companies, look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest number of people still using them,” the statement noted.

In October, WhatsApp experienced a glitch, making it inaccessible temporarily to thousands of users worldwide.

Read: WhatsApp is down for thousands of users; back online after an hour

In November, WhatsApp rolled out the ‘Message Yourself’ feature, which, as expected allows users to send themselves notes, messages, photos, videos, and updates. The feature, now widely available, lets you start a one-on-one chat with yourself within the app.

Before these major updates, WhatsApp launched Communities; a tool that allowed users to message multiple groups at once. Users can exchange updates across many group conversations by grouping them under a single subject and using the tool to do so.