WhatsApp support ending on these phones in South Africa
WhatsApp will drop support for Android 5 and 5.1 in four months, meaning users on smartphones that cannot upgrade to Android 6 will have to find a new device to keep using the app.
Thanks to its data-based messaging and calling, which are cheaper than traditional calls and SMS, WhatsApp has become nearly ubiquitous on smartphones in South Africa.
A large proportion of the market uses budget or used Android devices, some of which may be affected by the upcoming change.
From 8 September 2026, WhatsApp will no longer work on Android 5 devices. Codenamed Android Lollipop, the OS was released in November 2014.
Well-known flagships that launched with the OS include the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4, and Google Nexus 6. Google has rolled out 11 new Android versions since then, yet it remains relatively popular.
According to Statcounter GlobalStats, Android 5 was the ninth most-used Android version, with roughly 1.66% of devices still powered by the OS. It was more popular than its three successors.
Considering WhatsApp runs on roughly 3 billion devices, most of which run Android, the change will likely affect a few million users.
Users still running Android 5 are advised to back up their messages frequently and explore a device upgrade in the next few months.
WhatsApp explained in its Help Centre that it would notify users affected by the deprecation within their apps.
WhatsApp users in South Africa could also expect a raft of new features and changes to the instant messaging app in the near future.
Online publication WABetaInfo keeps meticulous track of changes under development by the WhatsApp team at Meta Platforms.
One that is already underway is the removal of WhatsApp’s avatar feature, which it launched globally in December 2022.
The feature allowed users to generate personalised 3D avatars to use as their profile picture and for stickers in chats.
New chat backup option
WhatsApp is gradually depreciating avatar creation, editing, profile display, and stickers across Android and iOS over the next few weeks.
WABetaInfo said that although some users have received an early warning of the change, others already had the feature removed without notification.
“There is no specific date announced for when all users will lose access to avatar creation and editing,” WABetaInfo said.
“Instead, we can expect the change to take effect gradually over the coming weeks as the rollout progresses.”
WhatsApp has not explained the removal, but its data likely showed that interest was insufficient to justify continued support.
To confirm whether it is still available, users can check the avatar section in their WhatsApp settings or profile page.
In terms of upcoming new features or additions, WhatsApp is currently testing a new chat backup option on its own servers.
That will allow users to select a different cloud backup provider than Google Drive. While Google offers 15GB of free storage per account, this is shared with other services, including Gmail and Google Photos.
WABetaInfo said that users may get 2GB of free storage, but the company could also offer a paid plan offering up to 50GB of space for $0.99 (R16.48) per month.
Choosing WhatsApp’s cloud backup will make end-to-end encryption mandatory. The feature is being tested for stability and security and is likely to be rolled out gradually for real-world testing.
Other features currently under development or in beta versions of the app include:
- Status updates at the top of chat lists.
- Moving of Channels to a separate tab in Chats.
- Labels for frequently reshared status updates.
- WhatsApp Plus subscription with features including animated stickers, choice of 18 themes and 14 app icons, and up to 20 pinned chats.
WhatsApp on iPhone is also getting a visual overhaul to align with Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language for iOS 26.
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