Overview
- Meta confirmed in June 2026 that WhatsApp will raise its minimum iOS and iPadOS requirement to 15.5 on November 30, 2026, up from the current 15.1 requirement.
- Affected devices include the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, iPhone SE (1st gen), iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 4 according to published reports.
- Owners of those devices can remain on WhatsApp by installing the latest available 15.x updates such as iOS and iPadOS 15.8.8 before the November cutoff.
- WhatsApp will show in-app notifications to users on older versions to prompt updates and Meta says it reviews supported operating systems each year to protect security and functionality.
- The move follows a similar change in 2025 that removed support for models that could not update past iOS 15.0 and left some users reliant on WhatsApp Web, so the main practical effect now is prompting software updates rather than forcing hardware replacement.