Meta Platforms Inc. messaging application WhatsApp is set to drop support for Apple Inc. running iOS10 and iOS 11.
What Happened
WhatsApp is planning to drop support for devices running iOS10 and iOS11, which means iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C models, which cannot be updated beyond these versions will be left out in the cold. The revelation was made by WABetaInfo on Twitter.In an attached post, WABetaInfo—a WhatsApp tracking Twitter handle—said the messaging app from the Mark Zuckerberg-led company will stop working on iOS10 and iOS11 devices after October 24, 2022.
A “Help Center” page on WhatsApps’s website, first noted on WABetaInfo, said support is provided for devices running iOS12 and newer.
Why It Matters
For devices that can be upgraded beyond iOS11, WhatsApp will only function if a user updates the iOS to version 12 or beyond.This means WhatsApp will continue to function on iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6S, but the iPhone 5 and 5c will get the ax, according to WABetaInfo.
The iPhone 5 was introduced on Sept. 21, 2012, and the 5c—a plastic avatar in multiple colors—followed a year later.
The share of Apple devices running iOS10 from 89 percent in January 2017 to 14 percent by May 2018. iOS 11 devices had a share of 81 percent in May 2018 and only 7 percent by August 2019, according to data from Statista.
By January 2022, 63 percent of devices were running Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS15, which was released in the previous year in September.
By Shivdeep Dhaliwal
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