As Google prepares to bring the new Android 14 update to the public in August, the company has announced to end the support for Android KitKat 4.4 next month.
Android KitKat was rolled out ten years ago, way back in 2013. It introduced refreshed user interface and also translucent background, making navigating on the phone a pleasant experience.
However, currently, less than 1 percent of active devices run on the decade-old Android KitKat OS.
While billions of people have moved on to the new and latest versions of Android, Google intends to end all support to devices with KitKat 4.4 OS from August 1. This also means, apps on such old devices will also not have any more security support and may lose some functionalities as well.
"As of July 2023, the active device count on KK (KitKat) is below 1% as more and more users update to the latest Android versions. Therefore, we are no longer supporting KK in future releases of Google Play services. KK devices will not receive versions of the Play Services APK beyond 23.30.99," said Sarat Tummala, Product Manager, Google Play Services.
Owners with Android KitKat-based devices are advised to upgrade to new smartphones to get the latest updates and security patches to thwart malware, ransomware, and other cyber threats.
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Published 26 July 2023, 07:06 IST