Google has announced that it will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices running version 2.3.7 or lower starting September 27 (via Bleeping Computer).
If you try to sign in with your Google account on Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread or below after September 27, you will get username or password errors when accessing Google services such as Gmail, YouTube, and Maps.
The following actions will also be no longer possible on devices running Android 2.3.7 or older versions:
- Perform a factory reset and try to sign in.
- Change the Google account password on the device or on another device, which signs you out everywhere else. You will receive an error message when you try to sign in again.
- Remove your Google account from the device and re-add it.
- Create a new Google account on the device.
The change will only affect a small number of users, since Google’s Android distribution numbers claim there are less than 1% active devices running Android versions older than Jelly Bean.
Google recommends users update to Android 3.0 or a newer version to maintain access to its apps and services. While users with devices running Android version 2.3.7 or lower will no longer be able to sign in to their account to use most Google products and services, they can continue to access some Google services when logged in using the best Android browsers.
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No matter how stable Android gets, it’s still too hard to master
Android and the services that it uses have come so far since I first came to the platform in 2012, but it’s still far too complex to troubleshoot and truly get everything exactly the way you want it. I’ve been writing Android help guides since 2014 and even I have to marvel at how hard some of these settings are to find.
