WhatsApp has officially stopped working on phones running Android 5.0 and Android 5.1, following a support change that took effect on September 8, 2026.
The new minimum requirement for both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business is now Android 6.0 Marshmallow or newer. Devices that cannot be upgraded beyond Android 5 will no longer be able to run the app.
Which Android Phones Are Affected?
The change mainly affects older smartphones that were never updated beyond Android 5.0 Lollipop or Android 5.1 Lollipop.
WhatsApp announced the move in April and began warning affected users through in-app notifications, giving them several months to update their operating system or move to a newer phone.
Users with devices already running Android 6.0 or later do not need to make any changes.
Older Android phones are still used in several markets, including India, Brazil, Pakistan, Southeast Asia, and Africa, meaning some users may now have to replace their devices if no newer Android update is available.
What Users Can Do
Affected users should first check their phone’s settings to see whether an upgrade to Android 6.0 or newer is available.
If the manufacturer no longer provides software updates for the device, users will need to switch to a newer Android phone to continue using WhatsApp.
WhatsApp recommends backing up chats before moving to another device.
Can You Restore Your Chats?
Users may still be able to recover their conversation history even if WhatsApp no longer opens on their old phone.
A recent backup may be stored either on Google Drive or the phone’s internal storage.
After installing WhatsApp on a supported device, users can sign in using the same phone number and restore an available backup.
Why WhatsApp Ended Support
WhatsApp periodically drops support for older operating systems because new features cannot always be made compatible with outdated software and hardware.
Ending support for Android 5.0 and 5.1 allows WhatsApp to develop newer features without maintaining compatibility with systems released many years ago.
The change affects both the standard and Business versions of WhatsApp because the two apps share the same underlying platform requirements.
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