The Future of Google Chrome: Ending Support for Older Android Versions
As the leading web browser in the world, Google Chrome continues to outpace its competitors. User choice among browsers tends to be influenced by personal preference and familiarity, yet major players strive to enhance their offerings to capture greater market presence. Recent announcements highlight this competitive landscape: Google touts that Chrome is now performing faster than ever, while Microsoft asserts that Edge excels in ad-blocking capabilities compared to its rival. Despite these developments, Chrome maintains a considerable market share, even among legacy systems. However, Google has recently made a significant announcement regarding support for Chrome on older Android versions.
Chrome Support Ending for Android 8 and 9
In a concise blog post, Google disclosed that it will discontinue support for Chrome on Android 8 Oreo and Android 9 Pie. The upcoming version of the browser, 139, is slated for release on August 5, which means that the current stable version, 137, will be the last to support these older operating systems. This shift reflects Google’s ongoing efforts to encourage users to upgrade to more recent versions of its mobile operating system.
Impact of the Decision
This announcement means that moving forward, Chrome will require a minimum of Android 10.0 for updates on mobile devices. Existing users on Android 8 and 9 will still be able to use Chrome, but they will no longer receive crucial updates. Consequently, these browsers will become increasingly vulnerable to cybersecurity risks, as they will not be maintained with the latest security patches.
Encouragement to Upgrade
Google is urging users operating on these outdated systems to upgrade to at least Android 10 to ensure continued security and feature enhancements for Chrome. Although Google hasn’t expressly outlined the reasoning behind this decision, it can be inferred that the diminishing user base for these legacy versions plays a pivotal role. Furthermore, it aligns with Google’s broader strategy to incentivize users to adopt newer versions of Android.
A Brief Look Back at Android Versions
For context, Android 8 was launched in August 2017 and achieved its final security update in October 2021. On the other hand, Android 9 was introduced in August 2019 and received its last update in January 2022. In hindsight, Google has demonstrated notable leniency by maintaining Chrome’s functionality on these legacy platforms long after their official end-of-support dates.
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