• Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

September 22, 2023

Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token

September 22, 2023

Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask

September 19, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Demo
  • Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Home»All Technology»Google will kill off very old versions of Android next month
All Technology

Google will kill off very old versions of Android next month

NewsBy NewsAugust 3, 2021Updated:August 3, 2021No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Enlarge / Delicious gingerbread Android cookies.

Google has started emailing users of very old Android devices to tell them it’s time to say goodbye.

Starting September 27, devices running Android 2.3.7 and lower will no longer be able to log in to Google services, effectively killing a big portion of the on-rails Android experience. As Google puts it in an official community post, “If you sign in to your device after September 27, you may get username or password errors when you try to use Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps.”

Android is one of the most cloud-based operating systems ever. Especially in older versions, many included apps and services were tied to your Google login, and if that stops working, a large chunk of your phone is bricked. While Android can update many core components without shipping a full system update today, Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread, released around 10 years ago, was not so modular.

The individual Google apps started to be updatable through the Android Market/Play Store, but signing in to Google was still a system-level service and is frozen in time. Any Google services wanting to allow sign-ins from those versions would have to conform to 2011-era security standards, which means turning off two-factor authentication and enabling a special “allow less-secure access” setting in your Google account. Really, these old Android versions have to die eventually because they’re just too insecure.

Google shows active user base breakdowns for Android versions in Android Studio, and Gingerbread has such a low device count that it doesn’t even make the list. It’s less than 0.2 percent of active devices, behind 14 other versions of Android. Users of these old devices could still sideload a third-party app store and find replacements for all the Google apps, but if you’re a technical user and can’t get a new device, there’s a good chance you could load a whole new operating system with an aftermarket Android ROM.

Advertisement

The current Android user base. Android 2.3 Gingerbread doesn't even make the list.
Enlarge / The current Android user base. Android 2.3 Gingerbread doesn’t even make the list.

Google

After September 27, the oldest version of Android you’ll be able to sign in to is Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which is only for tablets. This OS still isn’t modular, but Google realized that login security updates would start to be an issue in the future, and Honeycomb added a “sign-in via browser” option to the initial setup. The hard-coded Android login can still be broken, but “sign-in via browser” will kick you out to a webpage—which can be updated with newer technology—and can then forward that login to the OS. It’s still not enough to save Honeycomb from the “less-secure app” designation and doesn’t work well with 2FA, but it’s enough to keep the OS trucking for now.

The login procedure became updatable in Android 5.0 Lollipop, which checks for initial setup updates before you even log in.

These devices have been obsolete for a while, so it’s not a big deal for day-to-day usage, but Google’s server shutdowns are a nightmare for preservationists. Today, anyone can fire up an old Apple II or install Windows 1.0 on an old computer and see the full experience, but once Google cuts off login support, old versions of Android are dead. If you can’t log in to Google, say goodbye to the Android Market, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Talk. The base OS will still work, but you won’t be able to do anything people actually did on these phones. You’ll never be able to see these apps work on the phones again, barring some kind of crazy login emulation system.

This isn’t the first time Google has killed off older versions of Android because of higher login security. The Android 1.0-era apps have been broken for years. Here at Ars, we saw all this coming and documented every early version of Android in this giant article. The apps might not work anymore, but we’ll always have the screenshots.

Source

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
News
  • Website

Related Posts

Flag Blockchain Sets a New Standard by Forking the Popular Polygon Blockchain

September 18, 2023

Best Internet Providers in Columbia, South Carolina

August 1, 2023

New Apple Watch Weather app: How it looks and works

July 27, 2023

Protect Your iPhone 14 to the Max with Casetify’s New iPhone Cases

July 24, 2023

Samsung Hints at ‘Slimmer and Lighter’ Foldable Phones Ahead of Unpacked

July 20, 2023

Sonic Frontiers sold more than SEGA anticipated, says company president

July 16, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts
  • Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together
  • Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token
  • Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask
  • Flag Blockchain Sets a New Standard by Forking the Popular Polygon Blockchain
  • Here’s how hot and extreme the summer has been, and it’s only halfway over
Recent Comments
    Demo
    Top Posts

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    A Look at the Future of More Sustainable Living and Travel

    June 5, 2021

    Germany’s patriotism paradox

    July 18, 2021
    Don't Miss

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    [Frisco, TX] – Flag Media, a dynamic and innovative conglomerate, is proud to announce the…

    Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token

    September 22, 2023

    Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask

    September 19, 2023

    Flag Blockchain Sets a New Standard by Forking the Popular Polygon Blockchain

    September 18, 2023
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Demo
    Most Popular

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    A Look at the Future of More Sustainable Living and Travel

    June 5, 2021

    Germany’s patriotism paradox

    July 18, 2021
    Our Picks

    Flag Media Launches New Website to Effectively Tie All Business Divisions Together

    September 22, 2023

    Flag Blockchain Launches Flag Recovery Initiative and the FXR Token

    September 22, 2023

    Flag Wallet Adds Features and Functionality to Compete with MetaMask

    September 19, 2023
    Editor's Pick

    200+ markdowns worth your money

    November 27, 2022

    JBS USA supports new Feedlot Innovation Center with $700,000 gift | Nebraska Today

    April 12, 2022

    NASA scaling back Artemis 1 moon mission test due to faulty valve

    April 11, 2022
    Futurist Journal
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube Dribbble
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    © 2023 futuristjournal.com - All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.