Starting in January, WhatsApp support for older operating systems will be discontinued. The app does not disappear, but updates and new functions could then no longer be loaded. This overview shows which smartphones are apparently affected.

This article first appeared on RTL.de.

No blue ticks, no “last seen”, no more WhatsApp – according to several media reports, this will apply to almost 50 smartphones from January 2023. Both Android and iOS devices are said to be affected – and a list is even circulating. What’s with the rumours?

What should happen from January 2023?

On the background of the alleged WhatsApp-Aus: From January 2023, WhatsApp will not simply fly from the corresponding devices, but according to the British “Metro” among other things, support will be discontinued for older operating systems. As the “Spiegel” explains, this does not mean that WhatsApp suddenly no longer works on certain devices, but rather that there are no more updates, so users no longer have any new functions and security gaps are therefore no longer closed.

A list of smartphones that are said to be affected by the WhatsApp shutdown is now circulating online. Clearly this cannot be verified. The FAQ section of WhatsApp only says that certain operating systems are required to use the app:

Apparently WhatsApp support will be dropped on these smartphones in 2023

The fact that WhatsApp support is discontinued for older operating systems is not unusual and happens again and again. Support for the corresponding iOS versions was already discontinued in October.

How the current list of allegedly affected smartphones came about is not entirely clear. A WhatsApp spokesman said when asked by “Spiegel” “that WhatsApp does not publish lists of devices that are supported, only operating systems.” RTL asked the WhatsApp parent company Meta about the media reports.