WhatsApp reportedly stopped supporting Android versions older than Android 6 in September 2026. If your phone cannot run Android 6 or later, the messaging app may no longer remain compatible with it. The practical answer is straightforward: check the installed Android version, look for a system update, and back up your chats before moving to another phone if no upgrade is available.
Android 6 is the reported minimum requirement
The reported compatibility change sets Android 6 as the minimum version for WhatsApp. The affected phones are generally more than 10 years old and often no longer receive security updates from their manufacturers.
The reported rationale centers on security, compatibility with newer features and greater processing demands. That makes the operating-system version more useful than a brand-based list when checking a particular phone.
Which phones may be affected?
Phones that cannot run Android 6 or later are the ones reportedly at risk. Android 5.0 and Android 5.1 were specifically associated with the cutoff in accounts about the change, but the rule concerns the software version installed on the phone rather than a single model or manufacturer.
That means two phones with similar hardware can have different outcomes if one received a newer system update and the other did not. The deciding detail is the Android version currently installed — not simply the phone’s brand or age.
How to check your Android version
You can check the phone before deciding whether it needs replacing:
- Open Settings.
- Find the section that displays the phone’s software or Android version.
- Note the installed Android version.
- Open the software-update section and check whether a newer system version is available.
If the phone can be updated to Android 6 or later, install the available update and then check WhatsApp again. Menu names vary by manufacturer, but the relevant information is the installed Android version and the presence of a system update.
What to do if the phone cannot update
If the phone cannot reach Android 6, make a current WhatsApp chat backup and prepare to migrate to a compatible device. A cloud-backed chat history can be restored on a new phone, so creating the backup before switching is the important step.
The reported cutoff is a compatibility change for older Android software, not a shutdown of WhatsApp itself. Users with newer Android versions are outside the affected software range described by the September 2026 report.
