The days after New Years Eve are sometimes difficult. This year New Years Day may be even more complicated for many of you. In fact, on January 1, WhatsApp is rolling out a new update that prevents the messaging application from working on some devices. We will explain everything to you..
WhatsApp has stopped working since New Years?
Headaches, nausea, hangovers, stomach pains, New Year's Day isn't always singing. And this year, things take on another dimension with the arrival of a new WhatsApp update.
If you are used to sending Happy New Year greetings using WhatsApp instant messaging, expect a nasty surprise. Indeed, the most popular chat platform in the world has decided to no longer support several million devices from 2021..
Concretely this means that some users will have to update the operating system of their smartphone if they want to continue to receive and send messages. To find out if you are affected by these changes, please refer to the table below.
- Devices running Android 4.0.3 and above remain compatible with WhatsApp
- Only iPhones running iOS 9 and newer to access instant messaging
Which smartphones are no longer compatible with WhatsApp
As you can see, this change only affects smartphones (Android and iPhone) of older generations. These are mainly devices released before 2012 and no longer benefiting from any update..
So to help you see more clearly, here is a list of Android and iPhone devices that should no longer be compatible with WhatsApp. I use the conditional on purpose because there is a form of uncertainty. This is not the first that WhatsApp has published this type of alert.
- Samsung Galaxy S2 and S1
- All iPhones from the first generation to iPhone 4
- HTC Desire
- HTC Evo 3D
- LG Optimus
If your smartphone cannot access WhatsApp but is not in this list, nothing is lost. You will be able to continue to run WhatsApp on it in 2021 provided you update your smartphone.
How to know if my smartphone is compatible with WhatsApp
There are several ways to check the compatibility of a smartphone with the WhatsApp app. To do this, simply go to the settings of their smartphone then click on the section about the phone. You will find the version number of your operating system just below the IMEI code.
If your device is running on an old version not compatible with WhatsApp, I advise you to check the availability of Android updates. Your device may be supported by Android 4.0.3 or later.
- Open Android settings
- Click on System
- Tap the advanced preferences menu
- Bring down the window
- Select the system update option
- Wait a few seconds for your phone to search for updates made available by the manufacturer of your device
- Click on the blue button to search for updates if necessary
Your phone will then tell you if a new version of Android is available. Before starting to download the update, make sure your smartphone is connected to the internet via Wi-Fi.
Important detail, your personal data will not be impacted by this update. All of your discussions and messages will be kept. As a reminder, the phones affected by the discontinuation of WhatsApp services represent a very small proportion of smartphones in operation.
