Apple iPhones Losing WhatsApp Support In May 2025: Is Yours On The List?

If you're using an older iPhone, it might be time for an upgrade. From May 2025, some iPhones running iOS 15.1 or older will no longer be supported by WhatsApp. It could mean that the popular models — such as the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus — could soon lose access to the messaging app.

Why the change? Security is the biggest part of it. These older iOS versions have already stopped receiving updates from Apple, leaving your data vulnerable to data breaches without regular security patches. That’s why WhatsApp is restricting its list of supported devices to make sure the app remains safe for users. 

Over the past year, WhatsApp has been adding several new privacy-focused features, and these updates often require newer software to work smoothly. For instance, it has a ‘chat lock’ feature that lets people lock certain chats with a password, a fingerprint or Face ID. There’s also the “disappearing messages” option, where messages disappear after a specified time.

“Silence Unknown Callers” is another useful update, which can block calls from numbers that are not in your contacts. It is a small but effective method to block out spam and scam calls. If you’re not sure what you’re supposed to do with all these tools, WhatsApp’s Privacy Checkup will walk you through the settings in a step-by-step manner. 

While this stuff is meant for everyone, not every phone can support it, especially the old ones. Some updates need more processing power or advanced security tech, like biometric authentication.

So, if WhatsApp is a big part of your daily life and you’re using an older iPhone, this might be a good time to think about switching to a newer model, like the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14, to stay connected without missing out on the latest updates.