WhatsApp is scheduled to discontinue support for some older iPhone models later in the coming months, and the Meta-owned messaging platform has now blocked beta testers from installing the latest release on these handsets. When the official deadline arrives in May, users will need to make sure their iPhone is running a recent version of iOS in order to continue receiving WhatsApp updates. Raising the minimum iOS version requirement allows WhatsApp to add support for features that use the latest iOS capabilities and technologies.
WhatsApp Beta Requires iOS 15.1 or Later With Latest Update
Users who have enrolled their iPhone to receive beta versions of WhatsApp will need to make sure their handset is running iOS 15.1 or newer, before installing WhatsApp beta for iOS 25.1.10.72. The change was spotted by WABetaInfo, a feature tracker with a good track record of identifying new features and changes coming to the chat platform.
WhatsApp TestFlight builds are incompatible with older iOS versions
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
If your iPhone is still running on iOS 14 or an older version, you can open the Settings app and navigate to General > Software Update > Install Now. Once the update is completed, you will be able to install the latest testing version of WhatsApp on your iPhone.
However, this is the end of the road for beta testers using an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the iPhone 5s. These handsets do not have an update to iOS 15, which means that the existing WhatsApp beta release on their smartphone 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 receive updates until the first week of May.
The stable version of WhatsApp for iOS will support these older models until May 5, after which users will need to update to iOS 15.1 — or switch to a newer smartphone, if a software update is not available.
Once WhatsApp drops support for iOS 12, iOS 13, and iOS 14, the messaging platform will be able to offer support for new features that are available on recent versions of iOS. The app’s listing on the App Store already states that the app requires iOS 15.1 or later, while WhatsApp Business currently requires iOS 12 — this will also be raised to iOS 15.1 in May.