Tech

Google Decides to Discontinue Chrome, Calendar Applications on Some Androids

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Google has decided it’s time to say goodbye to their “Chrome” browser and “Calendar” app on some of the older Android phones.

If your phone is running on Android 7.1 or something older, you need to read this because you won’t be able to use these services anymore.

Here’s the Deal

Google announced that once they roll out Chrome version 120, it’s not going to work on phones that don’t have at least Android 8. They’re drawing the line at version 119 of Chrome for the older phones. And after that, no more updates – neither for software nor security – from Google for these older versions, starting next year.

There’s a Bit More to It

The Calendar app has started showing warnings to some users who are still on these old phones. It’s basically telling them they need to upgrade their operating system if they want to keep using the app.

And Here’s an Interesting Bit

While Google’s latest and greatest is Android 14, most people are still using Android 11 on their devices.

Google’s reasoning is kind of straightforward. The search engine parent wants more people using the latest features and services they offer. Plus, by not having to support the old phones anymore, their developers can focus on creating new products instead of fixing problems on outdated systems.

Just to Give You an Idea

Only about 3% of Android phones out there are still on 7.1, and if you add up all the older versions, they make up just 5%. That’s out of an impressive 3.6 billion Android phones worldwide, as of last June.

So, it’s a small fraction, but it’s still a significant count.

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