WhatsApp Drops Support for These iPhone Models

WhatsApp has ended support for iOS versions older than iOS 15.1, removing the chat platform's compatibility with several iPhone models in the process. The change began on June 1, after Meta delayed it from an original planned date of May 5.

Whatsapp Feature
WhatsApp is no longer compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus models. Users with those devices won't be able to access the encrypted chat service through the app unless they upgrade their iPhone. Alternatively, users can visit web.whatsapp.com in their browser, but the experience won't be the same.

Users who intend to upgrade can back up their WhatsApp chats to iCloud, and restore their full chat and media history to a newer, supported device using using WhatsApp's Chat Transfer feature. Instructions on how to do so are outlined in WhatsApp's Help Center.

In related developments, WhatsApp is now available on the iPad, coming more than 15 years after the messaging service launched. An Instagram app for the iPad is also in the works.

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...

Top Rated Comments

Reverend Benny Avatar
3 weeks ago

Is there anyone using iPhone 5s? 6? 6S :oops:?
I'd say there are a few around. Still decent phones aside that Apple has dropped support and don't update them anymore.
The new EU Ecodesign Regulation is a step in the right directon towards pushing manufacturers to support devices longer. Wouldn't have helped in this case tho.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaa0s Avatar
3 weeks ago

Is there anyone using iPhone 5s? 6? 6S :oops:?
Me, 6S just for Apple Carplay. :)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
3 weeks ago
Using a dedicated phone for Facebook marketplace, was using an iPhone 6 for a while until some of the features stopped working, was forced to upgrade to a seven which gave a bump to iOS 15 and for now am receiving app updates.

In reality it’s not necessarily Apple forcing us to buy new devices but the app developers dropping support for older iOS versions even though they still can release them as some of the developers do.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cicalinarrot Avatar
3 weeks ago
My dad was using a 6S until a few months ago.

He's 70, it still worked great for him, I got him a 3rd gen SE because I had to change the battery again and the storage was getting too thin. So... even what was starting to give problems was part of Apple's planned obsolescence agenda.

I mean, ten years seems like a lot but a fridge that costs $1000 can last 30 years, why shouldn't a phone?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cicalinarrot Avatar
3 weeks ago

Software & security advancements render older tech obsolete. You had your mileage out of the 6s so I don't know what you're complaining about.

Buying a 3rd Gen SE wasn't a very wise choice as it was already a few years old when you got it a few months ago.
The SE was just like the 6S my father had and very cheap, virtually unbeatable in terms of price per year of life.

Apple renders older tech obsolete. I use very old PCs and they work perfectly. The way I use them hasn't changed in more than a decade, no reason to get new ones for most use cases.
I had my mileage? Again, most annoying thing I couldn't fix was the storage, something Apple has historically kept low and pricey to make phones older earlier. Plus how bad media backup via USB works, I could talk about their evil methods all day long.

You are just accepting the lifespan Apple chose for you as a universal truth, which is exactly what they wanted. Phones could last longer, Apple just doesn't want them to. A phone with its battery glued inside with no possibility for most users to safely replace it was something almost unthinkable before the iPhone. They could make a Mac-like time machine to store media directly to a drive via USB, that'd make a whole lot of sense.

And, of course, using a 9 year old iPhone is an exception.

IMHO, once the company drops official support for a product, they should be legally required to unlock it 100%. Otherwise, they are just entitled to choose how much I can use the thing I bought. That's not how buying things works, that's a sick form of rent.
I decide when the phone is too old to work properly for me like I do with all other things I own. Hey, if they're right, they have nothing to lose.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
attohs Avatar
3 weeks ago

I mean, ten years seems like a lot but a fridge that costs $1000 can last 30 years, why shouldn't a phone?
What $1000 fridge today is lasting 30 years?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)