If you are a user of iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c, Archos 53 Platinum, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, Samsung Galaxy Core, Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy S3 mini, ZTE Grand S Flex, ZTE Grand X Quad V987, ZTE Memo V956, HTC Desire 500, Huawei Ascend D, Huawei Ascend D1, and Huawei Ascend D2, WhatsApp will no longer work on your phone from 1 January 2023 unless you get an upgrade.

This is because WhatsApp is ending its support for these mostly entry-level and mid-range smartphones at the end of 2022, in line with its tradition of periodically phasing out older smartphones.

WhatsApp said on its official support page that it would no longer support these devices because they haven’t been updated in a long time. The Meta company said phones that don’t run at least Android 5.0 Lollipop or iOS 12 would no longer be supported.

Also affected include LG Enact, LG Lucid 2, LG Optimus 4X HD, LG Optimus F3, LG Optimus F3Q, LG Optimus F5, LG Optimus F6, LG Optimus F7, LG Optimus L2 II, LG Optimus L3 II, LG Optimus L3 II Dual, LG Optimus L4 II, LG Optimus L4 II Dual, LG Optimus L5, LG Optimus L5 Dual, LG Optimus L5 II, LG Optimus L7, LG Optimus L7 II, LG Optimus L7 II Dual, and LG Optimus Nitro HD, according to Gizchina.com, a Chinese phone blog dedicated to providing breaking news, expert reviews and how-tos.

Others are Samsung Galaxy Trend II, Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite, Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2, Huawei Ascend G740, Huawei Ascend Mate, Huawei Ascend P1, Huawei Ascend D Quad XL, Lenovo A820, Sony Xperia Arc S, Sony Xperia miro, Sony Xperia Neo L, Wiko Cink Five, and Wiko Darknight ZT.

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On why it is discontinuing its support for these devices, the instant messaging app said devices and software change often, so it regularly reviews what operating systems it supports and makes updates.

“To choose what to stop supporting, every year we, like other technology companies, look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest number of people still using them. These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp,” it said.

WhatsApp said users of the affected phones would be notified before the app stops working on their phones.

“To keep up with the latest advances in technology, we routinely stop supporting older operating systems to point our resources to supporting the latest ones,” WhatsApp said on its blog.

“If we stop supporting your operating system, you will be notified and reminded a few times to upgrade your device to continue using WhatsApp,” it said.