WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion monthly active users as of 2022. It allows users to send messages, photos, videos, documents and make voice and video calls over the internet. WhatsApp is available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry devices. But with new versions of iOS and Android operating systems being released every year, this raises the question – what is the oldest iPhone model that still supports WhatsApp?
What are the minimum iOS requirements for WhatsApp?
According to WhatsApp’s system requirements, WhatsApp supports iPhones running iOS 10 and newer versions. So the minimum iOS version required to run WhatsApp is iOS 10. The initial release date for iOS 10 was September 13, 2016. Therefore, theoretically speaking, iPhones running iOS 9 and earlier cannot be updated to install WhatsApp.
Does this mean iPhone 5 and earlier models do not support WhatsApp?
The iPhone 5 and earlier iPhone models shipped with iOS 6 in 2012. The last iOS version released for these iPhones was iOS 10. So even though iOS 10 is the minimum requirement for WhatsApp, iPhone 5 and earlier models did receive iOS 10 updates and can theoretically run WhatsApp if the latest iOS version they support is installed.
However, WhatsApp announced in February 2020 that support for iOS 10 and iOS 9 will end starting February 1, 2020. This means WhatsApp will no longer be compatible with iOS 9 and iOS 10. So iPhone 5 and earlier models which can only be updated to iOS 10 will eventually lose WhatsApp support.
Does this mean iPhone 5C and later models support WhatsApp?
Unlike the iPhone 5 and previous models, the iPhone 5C and later models shipped with iOS 7 in 2013. The last iOS version released for these iPhones was iOS 12. This means that as of iOS 12, the minimum iPhone model that can run WhatsApp is the iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S and later.
The iPhone 5C and 5S can be updated to iOS 12 which meets WhatsApp’s current minimum requirement of iOS 10. However, when WhatsApp ends support for iOS 10 in 2020, the iPhone 5C and 5S will also eventually lose WhatsApp support.
So what is the oldest iPhone model that supports WhatsApp in 2022?
As of 2022, the oldest iPhone model that supports the latest version of WhatsApp is the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus which were released in 2014. The iPhone 6 series shipped with iOS 8 and can be upgraded to the latest iOS 15 release.
All iPhone models newer than the iPhone 6/6 Plus released from 2014 onwards also continue to fully support the latest build of WhatsApp. This includes the iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X series, iPhone 11 series and iPhone 12 series.
List of iPhones that support WhatsApp in 2022
| iPhone Model | Year Released | Last iOS Version | Supports WhatsApp |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 5C | 2013 | iOS 12 | No* |
| iPhone 5S | 2013 | iOS 12 | No* |
| iPhone 6 | 2014 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 6 Plus | 2014 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 6S | 2015 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 6S Plus | 2015 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone SE | 2016 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 7 | 2016 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 7 Plus | 2016 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 8 | 2017 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 8 Plus | 2017 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone X | 2017 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone XR | 2018 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone XS | 2018 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone XS Max | 2018 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 11 | 2019 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 11 Pro | 2019 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max | 2019 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone SE (2nd gen) | 2020 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 12 | 2020 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 12 Pro | 2020 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | 2020 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 12 Mini | 2020 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 13 | 2021 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 13 Pro | 2021 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | 2021 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone 13 Mini | 2021 | iOS 15 | Yes |
| iPhone SE (3rd gen) | 2022 | iOS 15 | Yes |
*WhatsApp ended support for iOS 10 and earlier in 2020. So iPhone 5C, 5S and earlier models no longer support WhatsApp even if updated to iOS 10.
Summary
In summary, as of 2022 the oldest iPhone model still compatible with the latest version of WhatsApp is the iPhone 6/6 Plus released in 2014. All iPhones newer than the iPhone 6 series continue to fully support WhatsApp.
The iPhone 5S and 5C released in 2013 can only be updated to iOS 12 which WhatsApp ended support for in 2020. So these iPhone models from 2013 and earlier cannot use WhatsApp anymore.
The minimum iOS version now required for WhatsApp is iOS 12. So the iPhone 6/6 Plus which can be updated to iOS 15 is the oldest iPhone able to run the latest build of WhatsApp as of 2022.
Conclusion
WhatsApp regularly ends support for older iOS versions to focus development on supporting the latest iOS features and security updates. Currently, iPhone models released from 2014 onwards running at least iOS 12 can use the newest version of WhatsApp. So if you have an iPhone 6 or newer from 2014 onwards, you can continue using WhatsApp. But iPhone 5S, 5C and earlier models released in 2013 and before are no longer compatible with the latest WhatsApp.
Going forward, WhatsApp will likely end support for iOS 12 and below soon. This would mean even the iPhone 6/6 Plus may not be able to use WhatsApp eventually in the near future. To keep using WhatsApp, it is recommended to stay updated with the latest iOS versions compatible with your iPhone model.