As the newer iPhone models are being launched in the market, the older ones take a back seat! And now ahead of the expected launch of iPhone 14 at the Apple’s Far Out event on September 7, here is something important to note for the users of iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C. If you use WhatsApp on iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C you will either have to upgrade to a newer iPhone or look for an alternative to WhatsApp. Wondering why? These iPhone models may stop supporting WhatsApp by October. Millions of people will be affected.

According to a report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp will stop working in some versions of Android and iOS in order to let the company introduce certain functionality that may not work on old operating systems. And now for the same reason, WhatsApp is planning to drop the support for iOS 10, iOS 11, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C over the coming months.

“Unfortunately, due to some internal reasons, WhatsApp is now really planning to drop the support for certain iOS versions over the coming months: we’re talking about iOS 10 and iOS 11!,” WABetaInfo said. The report shared a screenshot which said that, “Update to the latest version of iOS to continue using WhatsApp. WhatsApp will stop supporting this version of iOS after 24 Oct 2022.”

WhatsApp on its FAQ page has informed that currently, it provides support for and recommends using the following device: Android running OS 4.1 and newer; iPhone running iOS 12 and newer; KaiOS 2.5.0 and newer, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2. “Before we stop supporting your operating system, you’ll be notified directly in WhatsApp ahead of time and reminded a few times to upgrade,” WhatsApp added.

Therefore, it can be said that if you are using iOS 10 or iOS 11, you need to update to iOS 12 in order to continue using WhatsApp. “It means you can still continue using WhatsApp on iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6S, but you need to update your iOS version. Unfortunately, WhatsApp will no longer be compatible with iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C since iOS 12 is not available for these devices,” WABetaInfo said.

Inorder to get the latest iOS version on your phone you will have to go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update.