WhatsApp will soon stop supporting some of the older Android and iOS smartphones, which means users using these smartphones will be required to back up their chats promptly to avoid losing important messages.
The instant messaging platform frequently updates its application to maintain privacy and security standards, which includes periodically ending support for outdated operating systems.
As part of this ongoing process, WhatsApp will no longer support phones running Android versions earlier than 4.0 and iOS versions before 11. As of now, WhatsApp is compatible with devices operating on Android 5.0 or higher and iOS 11 or later, so users on older systems will be required to upgrade their devices to continue using the app without interruption.
Also Read: Microsoft Now Sees OpenAI As Rival In AI And Search
Which Phones Will Stop Supporting WhatsApp
While WhatsApp hasn’t officially announced the list of smartphones that will be impacted by this change, as per the leaked report, it has been identified that around 35 phones will no longer support the app. This includes devices from major smartphone brands including Apple, Samsung, Sony, LG, Motorola, and Huawei. Here’s a list of affected phones:
Samsung: Galaxy Ace Plus, Galaxy Core, Galaxy Express 2, Galaxy Grand, Galaxy Note 3 N9005 LTE, Galaxy Note 3 Neo LTE+, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S3 Mini VE, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy S4 mini I9190, Galaxy S4 mini I9192 Duos, Galaxy S4 mini I9195 LTE, and Galaxy S4 Zoom.
Apple: iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, and iPhone SE. Lenovo: Lenovo A858T, Lenovo P70, and S890. Motorola: Moto G and Moto X. Huawei: Ascend P6 S, Ascend G525, Huawei C199, Huawei GX1s, and Huawei Y625. Sony: Xperia Z1 and Xperia E3. LG: Optimus 4X HD P880, Optimus G, Optimus G Pro, and Optimus L7.
If your phone is also on the list, you will have to upgrade your smartphone to continue using WhatsApp. Meanwhile, users should ensure to back up their chats to avoid losing any important conversations. Users can use WhatsApp’s built-in backup feature to save their data to Google Drive or iCloud.
Also Read: Apple Watch Users Now Upgrade To WatchOS 10.6
WhatsApp’s Latest AI Feature Is A Boon For Bad Texters
It looks like this year will be remembered as the year when every tech giant raced to make its version of AI chatbot a staple of our daily lives. While Google Gemini and ChatGPT are currently the top contenders, Meta has been comparatively sluggish in integrating meta AI into its popular apps — Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp — making it easier than ever to chat with Meta’s AI chatbot.
But what about the people who do not have the patience to type long messages for AI chatbots? Well, WABetaInfo has uncovered a new feature in the WhatsApp beta for Android (version 2.24.16.10) that will enable users to send voice messages to Meta AI. Earlier, communication with Meta AI was limited to text and image-based interactions.