WhatsApp Ends Android Lollipop Support: What Users Need to Do Now

The era of Android Lollipop on WhatsApp has come to an end. Meta's popular messaging service stopped supporting Android 5.0 and Android 5.1 Lollipop, pushing devices running this decade-old operating system beyond the app's compatibility threshold and potentially cutting off user access.

Starting September 8, WhatsApp raised its minimum operating-system requirement to Android 6.0 Marshmallow across both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business. The company had previously signaled this change in April when WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp was displaying in-app warnings to impacted users about the upcoming discontinuation.

According to WhatsApp, the company regularly phases out older platforms that may lack modern security patches or features necessary for the app's operation. The company outlined its reasoning on its support documentation: "Every year we look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest users. These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp."

By discontinuing Lollipop support, WhatsApp can concentrate its engineering and security efforts on more current operating systems capable of supporting its evolving feature set.

The upgrade cost for affected users

For individuals using older or refurbished devices, this compatibility shift may transform a simple software limitation into an unplanned financial burden.

Given WhatsApp's role in both personal and small-business communication, losing the ability to use the service carries greater consequences than discontinuing a typical mobile application. Those whose handsets cannot be updated past Android 5 will require a new device that meets the updated requirements to maintain WhatsApp access.

The company has not revealed the number of users impacted by this change, making it difficult to assess how widespread the disruption will be.

What affected users should do

Owners of devices running Android 5.0 or 5.1 can determine whether their phone is capable of receiving a system upgrade:

• Navigate to the device Settings application.
• Locate System, Software Update, or About phone.
• Look for and download any available firmware updates that would upgrade the device to Android 6.0 or later.

In cases where the manufacturer does not offer an update, switching to a newer compatible device becomes necessary. Prior to making the transition, users who still have access to WhatsApp should generate a fresh backup of their conversations. Transferring a Google Drive backup to a new Android device requires using the identical phone number and Google account that were used when the backup was originally created.

What lies ahead

The September 8 deadline applies exclusively to Android users, though Apple device owners will encounter their own separate requirement update. Starting November 30, WhatsApp will mandate iOS 15.5 or later, replacing the previous iOS 15.1 minimum. iPhone users operating older versions should verify their current iOS version and back up their messages before the deadline arrives.