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Tanzanians with Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 will no longer be able to access WhatsApp in 2025

Tanzania Times

Samsung is a popular smartphone brand in Tanzania, which means many residents in the country own South Korean handsets.

However, there are a number of Samsung phone models including the older Galaxy series which will no longer be supporting WhatsApp service effective from the New Year 2025.

They include Samsung Galaxy and Note models, as well as some HTC, LG, Motorola and Sony phones.

Later from May 2025, whatsapp will also cease to function in some iPhone hadsets as well.

 Meta, which runs WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, stops to provide official updates to a number of Android and iPhone gadgets this year, forcing owners to either upgrade or switch phone brands altogether.

‘WhatsApp’ will no longer work on the handsets listed below, according to an official statement from the maker.

Of course, there are some clever stubborn users who may attempt to jailbreak or apply some methods of ‘Do-it-Yourself,’ tinkering, but according to the statement, this will pose a major risk that would void the handsets’ warranty and even render them inoperable.

Here is a list of Android phones being affected by the January 2025 changes.

  • Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
  • Motorola Moto G (1st Generation), Motorola Razr HD and Moto E 2014
  • HTC phones to be affected include One X, One X Plus, Desire 500, Desire 601
  • LG may have stopped making handsets but their phones are still in use and these ones will lose their WhatSapp capabilities; LG Optimus G, LG Nexus 4, LG G2 Mini and L90
  • Sony Xperia Z, Xperia SP, Xperia T and Xperia V will also lose their WhatsApp support

Meta, which owns WhatsApp, says the changes are part of regular updates to ensure the app stays secure and functional while working with newer phones.

Later in 2025, WhatsApp will stop being supported for iPhones of a similar age.

From May 5, the app will stop working on iOS versions earlier than 15.1.

While some iPhone users with older iOSes can simply update their phones, some which are still in use can only be updated to iOS 12.5.7.

The phones in this category that can still use WhatsApp now but won’t be able to from May 5 are the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

These changes affect both the regular WhatsApp application and WhatsApp Business, which has the same system requirements.

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