Ina Opperman

By Ina Opperman

Business Journalist


You could lose access to WhatsApp on Friday

WhatsApp has changed the way lots of people communicate and most people will say that they are unable to live without it.


Unfortunately, some people with older phones will not be able to use their WhatsApp from Friday, 1 January. Some will be able to update their phones’ software, but others will simply have to buy a new phone if they want to continue using the service.

If you have do not have iOS 9 software or above on your iPhone or Android 4.0.3 software or above on your Android device, you could lose access to WhatsApp or some of its features.

If you use an iPhone 4, Motorola Droid Razr or Samsung Galaxy 2, you will not be able to update to newer software.

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Try this first

If you use an iPhone, check the software you are using by going to Settings, then General and then Software Update. Do this on an Android phone, by going to Settings and then to About Phone to see which version of the software you have.

Back up your chats

If your phone is affected, you can back up your chats before 1 January if you want to keep them, by going to Settings, then to Chats and then to Chat Backup.

If you software is too old

If your software is too old, you will lose some features of WhatsApp or you will lose the service completely. The best you can do is choosing a new phone with compatible software.

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