WhatsApp warning to people with these Macs

Apple Mac users on MacOS Big Sur (MacOS 11) will soon lose WhatsApp Desktop support, forcing them to upgrade their computers or forego using the messaging platform’s desktop version.

While it is inevitable that third-party software providers will drop support for older operating systems, many of these Macs still perform well. However, they are unable to update beyond a certain version of MacOS.

A MyBroadband reader with a 2014-model 27-inch 5K iMac recently started receiving warnings over the support end date for Big Sur, and they cannot update to MacOS Monterey.

The warning says WhatsApp will only support MacOS Monterey and later in less than 70 days.

The iMac boasts impressive specs for an older device, including a Retina display, Quad-Core 3.5GHz Intel Core i5-4690, 24GB of RAM, albeit slow DDR3, and an AMD Radeon M9 M290X GPU with 2GB of video memory.

The next OS up after Big Sur is MacOS Monterey, which launched in 2021. According to Apple’s compatibility page for Monterey, the earliest iMacs to support the OS are from late 2015.

The page also provides an extensive list of older Mac devices that support Monterey, provided in the table lower down in the article.

It appears that WhatsApp has yet to update its Mac Desktop compatibility page. Although it quite rightly says it currently supports MacOS 11, there is no mention of its plan to drop support for the operating system.

WhatsApp said it examines which devices and software have the oldest and fewest users each year to decide what to no longer support.

“Devices and software change often, so we regularly review what operating systems we support and make updates,” it said.

“Before we stop supporting your operating system, you’ll be notified in WhatsApp and reminded a few times to upgrade.”

The Meta Platforms-owned messaging platform recently dropped support for various Apple and Android smartphones, including iPhones running iOS 15.1 or older and Android devices running KitKat (Android Version 4.4).

Android KitKat is still used in devices like the Samsun Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy S4 Mini. WhatsApp dropped support for the OS on 1 January 2025.

Affected Android devices include:

• Samsung — Galaxy Ace 3 (in addition to the three Samsung devices above)
• Motorola — Moto G (1st Gen), Razr HD, and Moto E 2014
• HTC — One X, One X+, Desire 500, and Desire 601
• LG — Optimus G, Nexus 4, G2 Mini, and L90
• Sony — Xperia Z, Xperia SP, Xperia T, and Xperia V

Prior to that, the company announced the end of support for iOS 15.1, rendering smartphones like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus unable to use WhatsApp.

WhatsApp will stop supporting these devices on 5 May 2025.

MyBroadband asked Apple if the only option for Mac users unable to upgrade beyond MacOS Big Sur is to upgrade their devices if they want to continue using WhatsApp desktop, but it hadn’t responded by publication.

The table below lists older Macs and MacBooks that support MacOS Monterey. If your Mac is older than the models on the list, it will likely soon lose support for WhatsApp Desktop.