WhatsApp stops working on Android 5.0 and 5.1 from 8 September
A confirmed cutoff date. Phones on Android 6.0 and newer are unaffected.
From 8 September 2026, WhatsApp will no longer run on Android versions older than 6.0. In practice that means devices still on Android 5.0 or 5.1 will lose the app. Everything from Android 6.0 upward carries on as normal, and WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp has been showing an in-app notice to affected users when they open the app.
WABetaInfo notes this matters more in India than in most markets, along with Brazil, Pakistan and parts of Southeast Asia and Africa, because a meaningful number of people still use handsets that stopped receiving manufacturer updates years ago. The reasoning WhatsApp gives is the usual one: supporting very old system versions limits what new features can be built.
The change applies to both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business, which share the same underlying code. iPhones and iPads are not affected. WABetaInfo advises anyone on an affected phone to back up their chat history before the date, and points to WhatsApp's own help page on chat backups for the steps. After 8 September, continuing to use WhatsApp on such a device would require updating the operating system, where that is possible, or moving to a newer phone.
Sources
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