Google Chrome 120 Set to Discontinue Support for Older Android Smartphones Upon Its Arrival in Early 2024.
Google will soon stop providing updates for its Chrome browser on several smartphones that are running outdated versions of its Android operating system. The company will also discontinue updates for its Google Calendar app on these phones. If you have an older smartphone and want to continue receiving updates to the company’s browser and calendar apps — these usually add new features or security-related fixes — you will have to update your smartphone to a newer Android version or purchase a new handset.
According to a recently updated support article for Google’s Chrome browser spotted by 9to5Google, the search giant is expected to drop support for Chrome on devices that are running on Android 7.1 (Nougat) and older versions starting with version 120, which is expected to arrive in early 2024. ‘Chrome 120 will not support nor ship to users running Android Nougat,” the support page states.
Google says that Chrome 119 also includes a message to users on older smartphones, asking them to update to a newer version of Android. This means that if your smartphone isn’t running Android 8 (Oreo) or a newer version, you won’t receive an update to Chrome 120. This is expected to affect around 8 percent of Android smartphone owners that have Android Nougat and previous versions, as per Android usage statistics that surfaced in June.
Google Chrome 120 Raises Minimum Version to Android 8, Disabling Installation on Android 7 and Earlier
With the minimum supported Android version now set to Android 8 for Google Chrome, sideloading APKs for versions 120 and beyond will be ineffective on Android 7 and older devices. Users delaying the update to the latest Android version will need to do so to receive future Chrome updates. For individuals with aging smartphones lacking a pending OS update, this marks a crucial consideration.
In a parallel development, TheSpAndroid suggests that Google is preparing notifications for Google Calendar users on Android 7.1 and older, alerting them to the termination of support for their Android version. The message urges users to upgrade to a newer Android OS version. Consequently, users on Android 7.1 and older will be unable to use Google Calendar versions 2023-46-0-581792699 and later, according to the report.