WhatsApp will stop supporting iPhones running iOS 15.4 or earlier from November 2026, the company announced this week, requiring users on older devices to either update their operating system or lose access to the messaging application.

The change affects iPhones that cannot run iOS 15.5 or later, which includes the iPhone 6 and older models that are technically incapable of upgrading to a sufficiently recent iOS version. Users on supported iPhone models who have simply not updated their software will need to update to retain WhatsApp access.

WhatsApp periodically raises its minimum iOS version requirement as it adds features that depend on newer operating system capabilities. The company said iOS 15.5 and later are needed to support end-to-end encryption improvements and privacy features it is rolling out over the coming months.

The affected user population is relatively small by global standards. The vast majority of active iPhone users are running significantly more recent software. However, the change disproportionately affects users in markets where older devices remain in common use, particularly in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and parts of Africa and Latin America where second-hand smartphone markets are active.

Users running iOS 15.4 or earlier who wish to continue using WhatsApp have until November to update their operating system if their device supports it. Apple’s website provides a checker showing which iOS versions each iPhone model supports. The iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and the first-generation iPhone SE can all run up to iOS 15.8.x and will not be affected as long as they update.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has more than two billion active users globally and remains the dominant messaging application in most non-English-speaking markets. The app is available free of charge on both iOS and Android.

The announcement is part of a broader industry trend of mobile application developers gradually dropping support for older operating systems as maintaining compatibility with legacy software becomes increasingly costly. Android applications face similar pressures, with many apps now requiring Android 10 or later.

WhatsApp’s system requirements and support policy are detailed at the WhatsApp Help Centre. The minimum iOS version change intersects with the broader iOS ecosystem covered in Apple’s WWDC 2026 announcement about iOS 27 requirements. Users considering device upgrades will find the Xiaomi 17T Pro and Google Pixel 11 among the leading Android alternatives in the mid-range market.