Never update your iPhone? You could be about to lose WhatsApp

Time to upgrade from your iPhone 5

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While it’s yet to be confirmed by the company,WhatsAppis reportedly sending out messages to users oniOS 10and11, letting them know that support for these is ending in October.

According toWABetaInfo, a message states that after October 24 2022, the app will not receive any more updates on those who are on iOS 10 and 11. This message is most relevant to people using aniPhone 5and5C, two older phones which can’t update to the newer versions of iOS.

Apps usually get to a point where support for lesser-used devices and software updates is cut off, usually so the developers can focus on more recent updates and products. Indeed,WhatsApp’ssupport center statesthat it officially supportsiOS 12and above.

While we’ve reached out to WhatsApp for confirmation, it could ramp up the inevitable inupgrading your iPhoneoriOSversion that you’ve been putting off.

How to avoid the inevitable

If you’re on an iPhone 5 or 5C, we’d recommend looking at our list of thebest iPhonesfor an upgrade. You may already find that some features aren’t working correctly already in iOS, or other apps have already stopped supporting iOS 11 and lower.

With an iPhone 5S however, this can run up to iOS 12. So while you’ll be safe for now, we expect it won’t be long until WhatsApp supportsiOS 13as a minimum.

AsWWDC,Apple’s developer conference is weeks away, we’re expecting to hear about whatiOS 16entails for its iPhones, which could prompt WhatsApp and other developers to look into other cutoff points for earlier releases.

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However, if WhatsApp is an app you can’t live without, it may be time to look into how you can keep using it by the time October rolls around.

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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