Phones on which WhatsApp will stop working starting in September 2025

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications (MINTIC), WhatsApp has become one of the most widely used apps in Colombia in recent years: more than 90% of internet users use it daily. It has more than 2.7 billion active users worldwide, making it the most widely used messaging app in the world.

Every year, the company updates its system, offering new improvements that address the need to ensure greater security and compatibility with new features, and by default, it withdraws support for some devices with older operating systems.

The exact number of affected users has not yet been revealed, but the announcement has raised concerns among those who still own previous-generation devices. What is known is that the affected phones will continue to function, but will be exposed to bugs and vulnerabilities, and the changes will take effect on September 1, 2025.

The full list covers models with a clear pattern: all are phones released more than eight or nine years ago. Although they were once popular, these devices now have memory, processor, and compatibility limitations that prevent them from running the latest app features. The list includes phones running older versions, and among them are the following devices.

Affected Android devices (Android 5.0 or earlier):

Affected Apple devices (iOS 12 or earlier):

These devices no longer receive official updates, which hinders their operation, and they will lack effective digital security, making it difficult to provide enhanced protection against scams or cyberattacks. This means that if your phone no longer receives software updates from the manufacturer, it will likely also be excluded from WhatsApp. Therefore, Meta recommends checking the operating system version in your device's settings to confirm whether it will continue to work.

How to check your cell phone's operating system:

If your phone appears on the list of those that will lose support, it doesn't mean that access to WhatsApp will be cut off immediately. In some cases , the app will continue to work for a while, but without updates or security patches, which increases the risk of failures.

The first recommendation is to back up your chats. To do so, Android users can enable Google Drive backup from the Settings > Chats > Backup menu. On iPhone, the path is similar: Settings > Chats > Backup > iCloud Backup. This way, if you switch devices, you can restore your entire chat history.

Another option is to try updating the operating system, as long as the manufacturer still supports that model. If the device no longer supports new versions, the only alternative is to upgrade to a newer phone that meets the minimum application requirements.

WhatsApp makes this compatibility adjustment periodically, so it's not an unexpected failure, but rather a routine process intended to ensure security and improved performance. While for many users it means considering changing devices, the measure also reflects the rapid pace of technological advancement. The final recommendation is clear: check your operating system version and anticipate the change so you don't lose access to the most widely used messaging platform in the world.

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