Google has
officially announced that it will be discontinuing play store compatibility for devices running Android Gingerbread (2.0) and Honeycomb (3.0). Effective immediately, Google’s Play store will no longer support these two operating systems, which fortunately only account for a tiny portion of the Android user base.
In fact, according to Google, less than 2% of users will be effected by this. Even among prepaid devices, it’s not common to find anything lower than Android Ice Cream (4.0). Check out the distribution chart below for a better idea of the distribution of devices:
Roughly 13% of users are using Jelly Bean (4.1-4.3), 25% use KitKat (4.4), 34% use Lollipop (5.0), 24% use Marshmallow (6.0), and less than 1% use Nougat (7.0). While there isn’t a breakdown of postpaid verses prepaid users, I’d venture a guest that most prepaids are using KitKat, with a smattering of older devices still on Jelly Bean.
How to Check Your Version of Android
You can check and see what version of Android your device is running pretty easily, although the steps are a little different for each device. Generally speaking, these steps should work:
- Open your Settings
- Scroll down and select About Phone
- Look for Software Info and select it
- Check the numbers under Android Version
As long as your Android version starts with a 4 or higher, then you’re fine.
If you are using one of these discontinued systems, your device will continue to work, but you will no longer be able to download new apps. I also suggest that you turn off auto updates for your apps (if you haven’t already) as future updates may make it incompatible with your device.
Have questions? Ask in the comments below and I’ll do my best to help!]]>
