GOOGLE’S decision to block its apps on very old smartphones and tablets has been met with anger, confusion and sadness.
Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail are expected to stop working on millions of devices today.
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The search engine giant says the decision is to improve security.
But several users and experts have warned that it could lead to greater “e-waste”.
Google said it plans to block users from signing in with their Google Account on devices using Android 2.3.
The ageing version of Google’s operating system launched in December 2010.
Safety first
Tech titan Google regularly drops support for older versions of its Android software as it releases new ones.
“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 September 27, 2021,” a Google spokesperson explained.
“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.”
Unless they update their phones or swiftly buy a new mobile, millions of people across the globe will be locked out of the software.
Waste not, want not?
One person on Twitter said using older phones for long periods of time was a good way “to reduce e-waste”.
Another said: “That sucks, but this isn’t a completely shocking move.”
One user said: “Sucks for people running them.”
A different user remarked: “Going same was as Apple. Forcing people to upgrade. Throw away world. You’ll make people return to having phones just for phone calls.”
And one joked “Time to switch over to Apple.”
Gadget fans commenting on tech site The Verge revealed their concerns.
“On the one hand, security is a pressing concern, and it’s not practical for vendors to support OS upgrades on all device types forever,” they wrote.
“But…it’s really disappointing that otherwise perfectly fine hardware will become next to useless.
“Sure, users could upgrade, but there’s an incredible amount of waste in replacing hardware that is functional just because software has become dated.”
We spoke to tech expert and industry analyst Paolo Pescatore, of PP Foresight, who said it’s a shame old phones can’t be supported for longer.
“This is disastrous for users as they’ve become so dependent on these services; more so now,” Paolo told The Sun.
“Google should provide support for older versions as some people do not want to depart with their devices.
“Even if it means only basic features are available.
“Ultimately Google is seeking to reduce costs and sway people to buy the latest and greatest devices providing a better and so-called richer experience.”
Millions hit
Somewhere around 0.2% to 0.3% of Android users are still accessing the Play Store on Android 2.3 – which sounds small.
But there are more than 3billion active Android devices in the world.
That suggests somewhere between 6million and 9million active devices will be affected by this change.
These old versions of operating systems are much more vulnerable to hacks, and software bugs.
The latest version of Android is Android 11, so 2.3 is miles behind the software running on most Android smartphones today.
In February 2017, Google suspended Google Pay contactless payments from working on handsets running Android 2.3.
Fortunately, there are some work arounds for disappointed users.
To continue using these apps, you’ll need to upgrade your smartphone to Android 3.0.
You can do that by heading to your device settings and tapping System > Advanced > System Update.
However, since not all devices running Android 2.3 are able to make the jump to the next version, some users will be locked out for good.
Smartphones that remain stuck with Android 2.3 include Sony Xperia Advance, Lenovo K800, Sony Xperia Go, Vodafone Smart II, Samsung Galaxy S2, Sony Xperia P, LG Spectrum, Sony Xperia S, LG Prada 3.0, HTC Velocity, HTC Evo 4G, Motorola Fire, and Motorola XT532.
Alternatively, it may be possible to use some of these services by logging in to them on your device’s web browser.
However, you will likely experience limited functionality.
Probably the best solution is to buy a new phone – much newer versions of Android can be obtained on very cheap handsets.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
