Google will soon drop support for its Calendar and Chrome apps on Android devices still running Android 7.1 and below.
Starting early next year, Google will raise its minimum operating system requirement to Android 8.0, or Android Oreo, alongside the release of Chrome 120. The news was spotted earlier by The SpAndroid.
If you’re still using the Android 7.1 operating system or older, you might’ve already gotten a message requesting that you upgrade your OS. Google also noted the changes on a support page.
“Chrome on Android will no longer support Android Nougat. The last version of Chrome that supports Android Nougat is Chrome 119, and it includes a message to affected users informing them to upgrade their operating system. Chrome 120 will not support nor ship to users running Android Nougat,” Google’s support page said.
Android 7.1, or Android Nougat, might seem like an ancient operating system, given that Android 14 is the latest OS release from Google, but not everyone upgrades at the same time. Android 11 is currently the most-installed software on Android phones, so the change will likely only apply to a small number of users.
Whether you’re using an Android or an iPhone, keeping your operating software up to date is important to the overall “health” of your device. In addition to cool new features, OS updates fix bugs and security risks. Ignoring software updates can leave your phone and everything on it, vulnerable to cyber threats.
To update your OS, find the Settings app on your Android phone. From there, you should be able to find the System tab and check if you have any downloads available.