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WhatsApp to stop working on millions of phones today

Published 16:11, 30 December 2022 GMT
| Last updated 16:11, 30 December 2022 GMT

After today, WhatsApp will stop working for millions of users after developers announced a major update to the app.

From 1 January, people with older phone models from manufacturers including Apple and Samsung will have to treat themselves to an upgrade if they want to continue using the popular messaging app.

Those with the affected phone models will receive a warning message before WhatsApp stops working, so no need to fret about it being sprung on you out of the blue.

Explaining the update - which impacts over 40 phone models - WhatsApp said: “Devices and software change often, so we regularly review what operating systems we support and make updates.

WhatsApp will stop working on older phones. Credit: Geoff Smith / Alamy Stock Photo

“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.

"These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp.

“Before we stop supporting your operating system, you'll be notified directly in WhatsApp ahead of time and reminded a few times to upgrade.”

The change is the latest in a long line of routine updates WhatsApp issues that result in the app no longer being compatible with certain phones and operating systems.

the change comes into play on January 1. Credit: DCPhoto/Alamy Stock Photo

Back in October, WhatsApp similarly announced an update which would mean the app stopped working on older software.

In a statement at the time, it explained: “To keep up with the latest advances in tech, we routinely stop supporting older operating systems to point our resources to supporting the latest ones."

Here is the complete list of models the January 1 update will affect: