diff --git a/backend/whatsapp.py b/backend/whatsapp.py
index f89f05f..9dcc67a 100644
--- a/backend/whatsapp.py
+++ b/backend/whatsapp.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ Handles sending WhatsApp messages via Meta's API
 import os
 import httpx
 import certifi
-import ssl
 import re
 import logging
 from typing import Optional
@@ -18,19 +17,10 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 async def create_http_client() -> httpx.AsyncClient:
     """
     Create an httpx client with proper certificate verification.
-    Uses certifi for CA bundle with minimal SSL configuration for compatibility.
+    Uses certifi for CA bundle with httpx's built-in SSL handling for best compatibility.
     """
-    # Create SSL context with certifi's CA bundle
-    ssl_context = ssl.create_default_context(cafile=certifi.where())
-    # Ensure TLS 1.2+ but allow server to negotiate the version
-    try:
-        ssl_context.minimum_version = ssl.TLSVersion.TLSv1_2
-    except AttributeError:
-        # Older Python versions - just use defaults
-        pass
-    
     return httpx.AsyncClient(
-        verify=ssl_context,
+        verify=certifi.where(),
         timeout=httpx.Timeout(30.0, connect=10.0),
         http2=False,
         limits=httpx.Limits(max_keepalive_connections=5, max_connections=10)