“WhatsApp will stop working on 1 in 100 Android smartphones from October 2023”

From October, WhatsApp will no longer be compatible with Android smartphones that have not been updated to Android 5 or higher.

In order to continue to include features such as the ability to use the same account on multiple devices or emojis with animation, WhatsApp must be updated frequently, introducing significant changes to its code, which sometimes indicates ceasing to support supports older versions of major operating systems. , leaving some users with no option to continue using WhatsApp unless they switch devices.

In this sense, just a few days ago we already warned of WhatsApp’s intention to no longer support two mythical versions of Android. Now we know that once the changes are effective (which will happen in just six months), one in a hundred Android smartphones will no longer be compatible with the messaging application.

WhatsApp will only work on Android versions starting from Lollipop

The company itself notified its decision on the official support website. In it, it is specified that “from October 24, only devices with Android OS 5.0 and later will be supported”, a significant jump, since WhatsApp currently works on Android phones with versions from of Android 4.1.

With this change, WhatsApp suddenly removes support for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Android 4.4 KitKat, two versions that until now were compatible. This, taking into account the distribution data of the most recent Android version, implies that one in a hundred existing Android devices will no longer be compatible with WhatsApp.

In case of using a device that still has one of the two indicated versions, launched in 2014 and 2015, the most reasonable thing to do is to replace it with a new one, if possible. Otherwise, from October 24, a message will appear indicating that it is no longer possible to continue using the application.

For iPhone users, it doesn’t look like anything is going to change any time soon. Models with iOS 12 or later will be able to continue using WhatsApp as usual.

Relax, discover the evolution of the number of smartphones sold by brand over time in the video below: