Strict Technical Decision Threatens Millions of Mobile Devices with “Digital Isolation” in September (Details)

Digital Isolation

The world’s most popular instant messaging platform, “WhatsApp,” has announced a fundamental update to its operating system support policy, which will lead to a long list of smartphones being permanently phased out of service.

Starting September 8, 2026, the application will stop working on all devices running “Android 5.0” (Lollipop) and earlier, in a move aimed at enhancing encryption standards and software security.

The blacklist of affected phones includes popular models from Samsung, Sony, LG, and Huawei, as well as older Xiaomi and LT Mobile devices that did not receive updates to “Android 6.0” or later.

Users of these phones, especially older flagship models such as the (Galaxy S4), (Xperia Z), and (HTC One M7), must upgrade their devices before the specified date to avoid losing access to their accounts and conversations.

Users can check their device’s status by going to the phone’s settings and selecting “About Phone” to verify the Android version number, as version (6) is the minimum requirement to remain within the support circle.