The most prevalent reason for the "Is WhatsApp being discontinued?" query relates to the app ceasing support for older smartphone operating systems. This is a standard practice across the tech industry, not a unique threat to WhatsApp's existence.
1. End of Support for Older Operating Systems:
The Reality: WhatsApp regularly updates its minimum operating system requirements to ensure security, introduce new features, and maintain performance. Running the app on very old OS versions becomes technically belgium phone number list challenging, costly, and compromises user security as these older systems no longer receive critical security patches from their manufacturers.
Recent and Upcoming Changes (as of late 2024/early 2025):
As of January 1, 2025, WhatsApp has already stopped supporting Android 4.4 (KitKat) and older versions.
From May 5, 2025, WhatsApp will no longer function on iPhones running iOS versions below 15.1. This specifically affects older iPhone models like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, which cannot be updated beyond iOS 12.5.7.