Overview
- WhatsApp has begun showing in‑app alerts telling users on legacy Android devices that the app will stop working later this year.
- Coverage differs on which versions lose access, with WABetaInfo via the Mirror flagging Android 6 and older while Talk Android reports a cutoff at Android 5.0 and 5.1.
- Affected users are urged to back up chats to Google Drive or move them with a local transfer and to plan an upgrade to keep using WhatsApp Messenger or Business.
- The impact skews toward countries where older phones remain common, including India, Brazil, Pakistan, and parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.
- Outlets cite a technical rationale, noting tests of features like notification bubbles, floating chat icons, and usernames that do not run well on very old Android versions.