WhatsApp is expected to discontinue support for several older iPhone models in the coming months, and the Meta-owned messaging platform has now blocked beta testers from installing the most recent release on these handsets.
When the official deadline hits in May, users must ensure that their iPhone is running the most recent version of iOS to continue receiving WhatsApp updates. Raising the minimum iOS version requirement allows WhatsApp to add features that use the most recent iOS capabilities and technology.
Users who have enrolled their iPhones to get WhatsApp beta versions must ensure that their device is running iOS 15.1 or higher before installing WhatsApp beta for iOS 25.1.10.72. WABetaInfo, a feature tracker with a good track record of identifying new features and changes coming to the chat platform, spotted the change.
If your iPhone is still on iOS 14 or a previous version, open the Settings app and select General > Software Update > Install Now. Once the update is complete, you can install the most recent testing version of WhatsApp on your iPhone.
However, this is the end of the road for beta testers who use an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or iPhone 5s. These phones do not have an iOS 15 upgrade, so the existing WhatsApp beta release on their phone will work for a few more weeks before it expires. These users can switch to the stable version of the app, which will continue to be updated until the first week of May.
The stable version of WhatsApp for iOS will support these older phones until May 5, at which point users must update to iOS 15.1 — or move to a newer smartphone if a software update is not available.
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WhatsApp will be able to handle new capabilities available on newer versions of iOS if it eliminates support for iOS 12, 13, and 14. The app’s App Store listing already states that it requires iOS 15.1 or later, whereas WhatsApp Business currently requires iOS 12 — which will also be updated to iOS 15.1 in May.
