TORONTO: Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail no longer work on these Android smartphones

TORONTO: Google is withdrawing support
for Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and several other applications from millions of
smartphones using older versions of Android operating system. As a part of the
company’s plans to protect accounts’ security, any device with Android 2.3.7
Gingerbread or lower won’t be able to sign in to Google products and services.
Users need to have at least Android 3.0 installed in their smartphones to keep
having access to these apps.

“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. 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.” Google community manager Zak Pollack
shared.

“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,” he added further.

Google regularly drops support
for older versions of the operating system as it continues to release new ones.
Devices with older versions of Android OS are more susceptible to bugs and
hackers. To recall, the company suspended Google Pay contactless payments from
working on any devices running Android 2.3.

Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread was released in September 2011 when the company used
to use dessert names for major iterations of the operating system. If you have
a device with Android Gingerbread that you can update you simply have to go
into System> Advanced > System Update.

Few of the popular smartphones that are stuck with Android 2.3 include
Samsung Galaxy S2, Sony Xperia Advance, Sony Xperia Go, Lenovo K800, LG
Spectrum, HTC Velocity, HTC Evo 4G, Motorola XT532 and Motorola Fire.