WhatsApp drops support for iOS 9

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What you need to know

  • WhatsApp has ended support for iOS 9.
  • You'll now need to be on iOS 10 or later to run the service.

WhatsApp has confirmed it is ending support for iOS 9 on the iPhone, with users required to be on iOS 10 or later to use the service.

First reported by MacRumors:

As indicated in a newly published support document, WhatsApp has ended support for iOS 9 and earlier versions of Apple's mobile operating system, requiring all users to be running at least iOS 10, released in 2016.

From WhatsApp:

We provide support for and recommend using the following devices:Android running OS 4.0.3 and newer iPhone running iOS 10 and newer Select phones running KaiOS 2.5.1 newer, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2 Once you have one of these devices, install WhatsApp and register your phone number. WhatsApp can only be activated with one phone number on one device at a time.Furthermore, there's no option to transfer your chat history between platforms. However, we provide the option to export your chat history as an email attachment.

As the report notes, the change will affect users of the iPhone 4S for the most part, but this is still only a tiny percentage of iPhone users. In December Apple confirmed that 81% of iPhone users are running iOS 14, with a further 17% on iOS 13 or earlier, which means that only 2% of iPhone users are running a version of iOS 12 or earlier.

Recently, the CEO of WhatsApp said that it was in Apple's strategic interest that its customers don't use WhatsApp, as it meant they were less likely to buy an iPhone because of the way iMessage works. You can read the full report here.

Stephen Warwick
Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9