Older Android phones will be less useful from September. Google has warned through the support forums that from September 27, users will not be able to log in to their Google account on mobiles with Android 2.3.7 or lower.
Android ‘Gingerbread’ is not only unsupported. Google has decided to go a step further in the attempt to stop using these devices that will directly prevent users from being able to use their applications, from Gmail to Youtube, through Google Maps or the Play Store.
For those who still use mobiles from the past
“If you sign in to your device after September 27, you may get username or password errors when trying to use Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps,” explains Zak Pollack of Google’s support community.
The limit is in Android 2.3.7, a version introduced in September 2011. When it will be 10 years since its release, Google will consider it too old a system to run its services. The press release does not explain the reason for this decision, but it is likely that security was one of the reasons.
Currently, the percentage of versions lower than Android 4.0 is less than 0.2%, according to the latest Android distribution data. Despite this, there are more than 3 billion Android devices. Even if the percentage is minuscule, there may be a significant number of such older devices. A further move by Google to encourage more modern and secure technology to be used.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.