Whatsapp users with an older Android smartphone have to be careful. Whatsapp will end support for Android 4.1 to Android 4.4.4 on October 24, 2023. From this date, Whatsapp users must use at least Android 5.0.
How to check your Android version
Open Settings on your Android device. Tap “About smartphone -> Android version”. The exact way to display the Android version may vary, but in any case you will find this important information in the settings of your Android device.
If you actually find that you are still using Android 4.1, there is nothing you can do. Google no longer provides updates for this and an update to the latest Android version 13 is unlikely to support your Android’s hardware. So you should consider buying a new smartphone.
Hardly anyone is likely to be affected
In fact, the discontinuation of WhatsApp support for Android 4.1 should affect almost no one. In May 2023, just 1.64 percent of Android users were already using the much younger Android 6. Android 5 or Android 4.1 is no longer mentioned in this Statista evaluation.
Android 5 is ancient and insecure
Android 5 Lollipop was released on November 3rd, 2014. This means that even after October 24th, 2023, Whatsapp supports a really very old Android operating system for which Google has long since stopped providing security updates. So using Android 5 is dangerous and should be avoided. Nevertheless, Whatsapp remains loyal to this and other Android veterans.
The current Android version is Android 13. You can find out everything about Android 13 here: Android 13 brings these new features.
Google will release Android 14 later this year. You can read everything that is known about this in these two articles:
Android 14 Release: When will the next major update be released?
Android 14: These Samsung phones receive the update
Nothing changes for the iPhone
The system requirements for Whatsapp do not change for the iPhone: As usual, iOS 12 is a requirement for the messenger. This has been the case since October 2022, when WhatsApp stopped supporting iOS 10 and 11.
Overview: This OS supports Whatsapp from October 24th, 2023
- Android devices from Android version 5
- iPhones from iOS 12
- KaiOS phones from KaiOS 2.5.0, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2
