Worrying new WhatsApp warning issued and ignoring it could see you banned

WhatsApp has recently announced the end of support for some older iPhones, with the block coming into force earlier this week. The change means some users with older iPhones will no longer be able to chat, call and text via the popular platform, with the only way to fix it being to buy a new device.

"Starting May 5, 2025, only iOS versions 15.1 and newer will be supported." WhatsApp explained. The update affects devices including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s.

If you happen to still be using one of those call makes, then WhatsApp has another warning you don't want to ignore.

With support ending, it might be tempting to download unofficial versions of WhatsApp which can be found on the web.

However, installing anything that hasn't been checked by the Meta-owned service could land you in serious trouble.

"Unofficial apps are fake WhatsApp apps, developed by third-parties which violate our Terms of Service. We don't support these apps because we can't validate their security practices," WhatsApp explained.

Using these applications could then mean you get a “Temporarily ban” which could then turn into a full block.

"Switch to the official app or stop engaging in scraping after being temporarily banned. If you don’t, your account might be permanently banned from using WhatsApp."

Although sideloading apps onto iPhones is pretty tricky, this is still an alert all users should be aware of. It appears the best course of action is to stick to official apps downloaded from the Google Play and Apple App stores.