WASHINGTON — Tech Giant Google has announced that users will not be able to sign in on their Android devices running Android 2.3.7 or lower versions.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our users safe, Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting Sept. 27, 2021,” said the company on its support page.
“If you sign in to your device after Sept. 27, you may get username or password errors when you try to use Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps. If your device has the ability to update to a newer Android version (3.0+), we advise you to do so in order to maintain access to Google apps and services on that device.”
Android 2.3.7 was released nearly 10 years ago.
But given that there are more than three billion active Android devices in the world right now, this change will likely affect more than a few people who might still be holding on to older tech.
If users are on Android 2.3.7 or older after that Sept. 27 deadline, they will still be able to use some Google services if one is logged in on your device’s browser, as per Google.
But devices on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) will continue to be able to log in to Google accounts, the company said, so if your older device can be updated, the users must update.
“When support ends for sign-in with a Google Account on Android 2.3.7 and below, you will receive a username or password error if you try to sign in to your devices or to add an email or calendar account,” Google said.
The tech firm recently updated its Passes API to store pieces of information regarding Covid-19 vaccines.
“Starting today, developers from healthcare organizations, government agencies, and organizations authorized by public health authorities to distribute Covid-19 vaccines and/or tests will have access to these APIs to create a digital version of Covid-19 vaccination or test information,” Google said in a blog on June 30.
“Once a user stores the digital version of the Covid-19 Card to their device, they will be able to access it via a shortcut on their device home screen, even when they are offline or in areas that have weak internet service.”
The feature was rolled out initially in the United States, followed by other countries.
“To use this feature, the device needs to run Android 5 or later and be Play Protect certified. Installing the Google Pay app is not a requirement to access Covid-19 Cards,” Google said.
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan and Praveen Pramod Tewari
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