Some people in 2022–2023 changed their phone’s build.prop file to pretend they were on Android 5.0, installed a newer WhatsApp, and forced it to run on 4.4.2. This trick stopped working after WhatsApp started using Google’s SafetyNet and Android System WebView requirements.
Fuente: Información basada en anuncios oficiales de WhatsApp y reportes de prensa tecnológica whatsapp para android 4.4.2