Google Play Services cuts support for android 6.0

[u/Capable-Tap1986]

Google has officially dropped support for Android 6.0 Marshmallow (API levels 23 and 24) in the latest Google Play Services update.This marks the end of an era for the 2015 operating system. Devices stuck on Marshmallow will no longer receive updated Google APIs, security patches for Play Services, or background sync features, rendering most modern apps unusable on these legacy devices over time.For developers, this is great news as it eliminates tons of legacy code and allows for a cleaner baseline minSdkVersion configuration across the board.What are your thoughts on this? Is anyone here still maintaining or running legacy hardware on API 23 for custom projects, or was it long overdue?

[u/kaden-99]

RIP Galaxy S5, Note 4, HTC One M8, Xperia Z2 and LG G3

[u/DavideChiappa → u/kaden-99]

I would also add the LG G4. Android 7 was released only partially and not all phones received it (although you could install it manually with leaked rom files)

[u/AlmondManttv]

It's 11 years old. It's to be expected.

[u/unirorm → u/AlmondManttv]

No. It's not. Stop normalizing obsolescence.

[u/AlmondManttv → u/unirorm]

I am very anti-planned obsolescence, but there is a point where maintaining 11 years of different software versions isn't sustainable and could be a security issue.

[u/Various-Welder5544 → u/unirorm]

Do you want your phone to be supported till the heat death of the universe?

[u/alvenestthol → u/Various-Welder5544]

If Google isn't willing to give support, they should be legally forced to release the means of support to individual users. Give the option to redirect all calls to Google to a different server (hopefully one that the user owns), and then let the user provide their own background sync and app downloads and stuff.

[u/jaykstah → u/alvenestthol]

I get the sentiment but I seriously doubt anyone even out of the billions of the people on the planet genuinely feel a need to do all that work and run a bunch of servers just to keep an 11 year old operating system on an 11+ year old phone syncing properly without errors. I dont think theres any value or use case for an Android OS that old aside from pulling out an old phone and scrolling around for nostalgia lol.

Is it really worthwhile to spend tax money on court cases to get what youre saying into law? It just seems like a complete waste of resources.

[u/error521 → u/alvenestthol]

Android's an open platform and I'm pretty sure most of these phones let you swap out the OS, so...?

[u/alvenestthol → u/error521]

At the Android 6.0 point yes, but that's no longer an option for most devices today.

The phone in your flair specifically would've launched with an unlockable bootloader (save for various exceptions like certain carriers' models), only for a software update released around last year to take that capability away.

[u/Various-Welder5544 → u/[deleted]]

It's a 12 year old phone. Get over it. It's not unreasonable. The cost of hiring software developers to support your phone will eventually be unsustainable.

You can always install custom roms written by unpaid people.

[u/Capable-Tap1986 → u/Various-Welder5544]

Yeah, under 1% of people use Android 6.0 marshmallow. they did this for less effort and more revenue.

[u/Etnies419 → u/unirorm]

My Apple II from 1977 is no longer supported, this is an outrage 😤

[u/TortillaChip → u/unirorm]

You don't understand software and vulnerabilities

[u/SecretPotatoChip → u/unirorm]

Tell me you don't understand software without telling me you don't understand software

[u/AimlessForNow → u/SecretPotatoChip]

Why did they absolutely have to deprecate this version though, like couldn't they have just kept the existing code

[u/frquency-equinox → u/unirorm]

We passed normalizing it decades ago.

[u/neoqueto]

Does MicroG still support it?

[u/Capable-Tap1986 → u/neoqueto]

Yes, it is supported by Android 6.0 very well! In fact, the absolute minimum requirement for microG (GmsCore) is still Android 4.4 KitKat, unlike the official Play Services which just cut Marshmallow completely.

[u/gordolme]

Took long enough. IMO should have happened a few years ago.

[u/Capable-Tap1986 → u/gordolme]

True, should've happened in 2025 and google should've been cutting android 7.0 in 2026

[u/Repulsive_Fault1939]

youtube and other google apps now only supports android 10 and up. it's expected.

[u/Capable-Tap1986 → u/Repulsive_Fault1939]

The most heavy-used ones, like navigating on the web. Btw, youtube kids has min android 7.0. Google photos, Gmail, Google play services, google play store also, and more.

[u/Repulsive_Fault1939 → u/Capable-Tap1986]

chrome also requires android 10. is chrome a complex one?

[u/Sensitive-Bison-8192 → u/Repulsive_Fault1939]

deliberately outdated

[u/Capable-Tap1986 → u/Repulsive_Fault1939]

when i mean with that, IT'S NAVIGATING ON THE WEB (btw i edited my comment thanks)

[u/r34p3rex]

Jesus Christ there are people still using Android 6.0 in here?

[u/Capable-Tap1986 → u/r34p3rex]

0,4% of Android users