While we live in a time where smartphones can get prolonged support and usability by way of software updates, it stands to reason that nearly all software and hardware platforms have a finite lifespan. With that in mind, Google recently announced that it will be discontinuing updates for Android version 4.4, otherwise known as “Kitkat”.
The announcement was made via Google’s Android Developers blog. A statement from Sarat Tummala, Product Manager at Google Play services reads:
The Android KitKat (KK) platform was first released ~10 years ago and since then, we’ve introduced many innovative improvements and features for Android, which are unavailable on KK. As of July 2023, the active device count on KK 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.
Android KitKat first arrived on the scene back in October of 2013, and brought some pretty significant improvements towards performance, allowing Android to run on devices with less-than-impressive hardware. It also came with the Kitkat logo design, drawn directly from the popular chocolate brand.
They should have done it way earlier, most people at the VERY least have Android 5.1 and most people use Android 11 or higher.
I use Android 10 btw.
I use Android 11 but I wish I was using Android 7. Things are just too restrictive since then and it’s slowly getting closer to iOS.
Nougat was the last great Android release, it’s all downhill from there.
submission statement
Google will no longer be updating Android 4.4 KitKat, which was first released in 2013.
The decision was made because the active device count on KitKat is below 1%, and Google wants to focus its resources on supporting newer versions of Android. KitKat devices will not receive versions of the Play Services APK beyond 23.30.99.
This announcement is a reminder that all software and hardware platforms have a finite lifespan. While smartphones can get prolonged support and usability by way of software updates, it is important to keep in mind that eventually, they will no longer be supported.
Back when Google was fun… I miss gingerbread and ice cream sandwich
Wait, it’s around 10 years old. How did it even get any updates up till now? I’ve always thought that it’s 3-5 years of updates for android. Did I misunderstand something?
