GOOGLE is just days away from shutting down access to some of its most popular services on older smartphones.
Google has confirmed that only a few Android devices will have access to Google Maps. YouTube and Gmail will also be removed from their phones on September 27.
Some older Android devices are losing access to Google’s suite of apps
Unless they update their phones or swiftly buy a new mobile, millions of people across the globe will be locked out of the software.
Google made the announcement in a short blog post.
Google said that it would block users signing in to their Google Account on Android 2.3-enabled devices.
Google’s old operating system was launched in December 2010.
Google said it’s withdrawing support for the platform “as part of our going efforts to keep our users safe”.
Google regularly withdraws support for older versions of Android software when it releases newer versions.
That’s because older versions of operating systems are far more vulnerable to bugs and hackers.
Android 11 is the latest version, so 2.3 is a long way behind most Android smartphones.
Google Pay contactless payments for Android 2.3 were banned by Google in February 2017.
Users of the software-based devices will notice that they can’t log in to their Google accounts later in the month.
Even if they have entered the correct credentials, they will receive an error message about their username and password.
The same error will occur if you try to add a Google Calendar account or Gmail account into the settings menu.
YouTube, Google Play Store, and Google Maps will all stop working.
These apps can be used again if you upgrade to Android 3.0.
You can do that by heading to your device settings and tapping System > Advanced > System Update.
Some Android 2.3 devices may not be able to upgrade to the latest version. This means that some users will remain locked out.
Sony Xperia Advance (and other Android 2.3-compatible smartphones), Lenovo K800 (and other Android 2.3-compatible devices), Sony Xperia Advance (and other Android 2.3-compatible devices), Samsung Galaxy S2, Sony Xperia P and LG Spectrum (and other Android 2.3-compatible devices), Sony Xperia Advance (and others), Sony Xperia Advance (and other Android 2.3-related smartphones), Motorola XT532 (and other Android 2.3-compatible devices), Sony Xperia Go 4G, Motorola Fire, and Motorola Fire
If your device is not able to be upgraded, you can still log in to services such as YouTube through your browser.
Devices using Android 2.3 will lose access to YouTube, Google Maps, and more.
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