Google Ends Support for Android 6 Marshmallow Devices

Google has begun implementing a new phase of its plan to phase out support for older versions of the Android operating system, in a move aimed at enhancing security and improving the user experience, but at the same time, it will affect a large number of phones that still run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Is your phone running Android 6? Here is what will happen after Google"s latest decision

According to reports, this decision means that these devices will gradually lose the ability to benefit from many core Google services, most notably the YouTube app, alongside the cessation of security updates and software improvements.

This decision came after the company raised the minimum requirement to run Google Play Services, the software package that serves as the backbone for most of the company"s services on the Android operating system.

After years of supporting devices running Android 6, Android 7.0 Nougat has become the minimum requirement to receive updates for these services and benefit from their new features.

Google Play Services plays a pivotal role in running many phone functions that users rely on daily. It is responsible for managing Google account sign-ins, running location services, sending push notifications, supporting Google Pay, in addition to running the Google Play Protect security system, and linking various apps to Google services, such as maps and navigation services within transportation and delivery apps.

Therefore, stopping updates for this package will not affect just a single app, but may reflect on the performance of a large number of apps and services.

Although the company will not remove Google Play Services from older phones, it will stop releasing any new updates for them.

As a result, existing services will continue to work to some extent, but over time they will lose compatibility with modern technologies, and they will also become more vulnerable to security flaws and cyberattacks due to the absence of updates that address newly discovered vulnerabilities.

Reports indicated that one of the most prominent direct impacts of this decision is that the YouTube app will stop working on devices running Android 6 Marshmallow.

When attempting to open the app, users will see a notification directing them to use the web version of YouTube via an internet browser instead of the official app.

Other Google apps are expected to follow suit in the future, as the company continues to phase out support for older systems.

As for the Gmail app, it will continue to work for the time being on these phones, but it will not receive any future updates or new features.

If the app stops working at a later stage, users will still be able to access their email through an internet browser using the web version of the Gmail service.

It is worth noting that Google first launched Android 6 Marshmallow in 2015, and it continued to receive Google Play Services support for nearly 11 years, which is a long period compared to what the company was used to with previous versions.

However, continuing to support older systems has become a challenge for developing modern features, in addition to increasing maintenance costs and the difficulty of providing the necessary protection against growing security threats.

Google believes that focusing its efforts on newer versions of Android gives it the ability to deliver advanced features and security improvements faster and more efficiently, especially with modern phones relying on artificial intelligence technologies and new features that require a more advanced system architecture.

For users who still rely on phones running Android 6, the best option is to upgrade to a newer device or update the operating system if the phone supports it.