iPhone 5 or earlier How to get access to old WhatsApp

[Sengo]

Hey there,

I got an iPhone 4, iOS 7.1.2
There is WhatsApp installed, but I can't access it. It tells me to install a new version, but obviously WhatsApp don't support iOS 7 anymore.

My question is basically how to get access to my old chats. Because I can't use WhatsApp on that old phone and I also can't simply transfer the data. I saved the WhatsApp folder itself via an third party explorer, but I don't know how to progress now and how to read out the chat or how to transfer it to a new phone(really an option I would not want to do because obviously it made make problems on my current WhatsApp on my normal iPhone)

But yea, open for any ideas, thanks

 

[PeteBurgh]

how to transfer it to a new phone(really an option I would not want to do because obviously it made make problems on my current WhatsApp on my normal iPhone)

I wonder if it would be possible to move the files WhatsApp folder to a different phone using the same third party explorer that you used to save it. Basically, doing a iPhone version of the Android procedure described here.

Worth a try at least - I appreciate it's a pain to do on your current phone, but you could always back up your current messages and restore them when you're done. (I don't think there is a way of merging your old messages and current messages).

Whether the current iOS version of Whats App supports older database and encryption methods I don't know. Worth a try, otherwise unfortunately I suspect you are out of luck.

 

[Fozamo]

You can create an iTunes backup of your old device and apply it on a newer iPhone, it should open your files and messages without a problem

 

[HDFan]

Can you get the message from the WhatsApp web site?

 

[dumastudetto]

This is why upgrading regularly is important otherwise you risk your data being stored in an unusable state. This applies to both Apple apps and third-party ones. Never keep your iPhone so long that you can no longer use the latest versions of iOS.

 

[FeliApple]

This is why upgrading regularly is important otherwise you risk your data being stored in an unusable state. This applies to both Apple apps and third-party ones. Never keep your iPhone so long that you can no longer use the latest versions of iOS.

WhatsApp warns about this several months in advance. If you were to use an outdated iPhone with the app close to losing compatibility, you’d get constant reminders upon launching the app that it will lose compatibility after a certain date.

I have an iPhone 6s on iOS 10 which lost WhatsApp compatibility on October 24, 2022. I think I knew back in May 2022.

Keeping an iPhone on an early iOS version isn’t a problem as long as you pay attention to this.

WhatsApp discontinued iOS 7 support back in 2020 and first warned about it back in 2019, or close to it. It’s been too long.

 

[tarekulislam]

Unfortunately, with an outdated iOS version like 7.1.2, accessing your old WhatsApp chats directly on your iPhone 4 is not possible as WhatsApp no longer supports iOS 7.

However, you can try transferring your WhatsApp data to a newer device by using third-party tools or services designed for WhatsApp data extraction.

You mentioned saving the WhatsApp folder via a third-party explorer, so you could explore options like converting the saved chats to a compatible format or using third-party apps that can read and export WhatsApp data. Be cautious and research reputable tools to ensure data security.