The end of the Gingerbread: Google says goodbye to old android users
It’s a sad day for Android users holding on to older versions, as a new rule set by Google suggests that older Android devices running Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread or older will not be able to utilize the multinational tech company any longer.
Google sent out an email recently justifying the new changes for old Android users, noting that as part of the tech giant’s ongoing efforts to keep users safe, Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting on the 27th of September.
“If you sign into 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,” The company stated addressing old Android users.
The final version of Gingerbread, better known as Android 2.3.7 was released 10 years ago. Even though tech enthusiasts regard the device as insignificant now, over three billion users actively enjoy Android devices. Hence, the new changes stemming from Google will surely affect a certain number of users.
Google’s reasoning for the cutoff of older devices is to ensure protection of account privacy. The change suggests that once a device lives to a decade after its release, Google should stop basic support, something that could in the future also affect recent Android devices.
According to the search giant, if you’re on Android 2.3.7 user or older, you’ll still enjoy certain Google services if you’re logged in on your device’s browser. However, you might want to hurry up and update your device if that’s an available option.