If you have an older iPhone or Android phone, you may lose access to WhatsApp completely or to some features of the messaging app as of January 1, 2021.
The manufacturers of the messaging app have confirmed that support for older devices will stop in the new year and, for some, it could mean that the app will stop working altogether. You will only be affected if you do not have iOS 9 or higher on your iPhone or Android 4.0.3 or higher on your Android device.
This means that those with an iPhone 4 or lower will not be able to update to the latest software, and some much older Android phones will also be affected, such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 launched in 2011.
Some WhatsApp users may update their software to a version higher than iOS 9 or Android 4.0.3 to ensure that they are not affected, so we recommend that you check which software you have if you are concerned about losing access.
You can do this on an iPhone by going to Settings> General> Software update to see what software you are running. If you have an Android phone, you can find it on your settings, and will probably be in a section called About phone.
If you have a software version higher than iOS 9 or Android 4.0.3, you will have no problems in the new year.
Some with much older devices will not be able to update their software at all, and if it is you, it could mean that you will lose access to certain WhatsApp features on January 1st.
If this is the case, or you lose access to the application completely, you may need to update your phone to be able to make the most of the application again.
Via News 18