Google today is “discontinuing Google Play Services updates for Android Lollipop devices.” Android 5.0 hit stable in November 2014, with Lollipop representing less than 1% of active devices.
Introducing the first iteration of Material Design to Android, it was followed by 5.1 Lollipop in March of 2015.
When Android phones and tablets stop getting monthly OS updates and security patches, they still receive new versions of Google Play services. This backend service powers a number of first-party features, like backup and 2-factor authentication, as well as other capabilities for app developers.
Google stops updating Play services for an Android version when there’s a low active device account, with Lollipop (API level 21 and 22) at less than 1% today. Dropping support lets the company focus on devices with more capable hardware and newer underlying operating systems that support modern features.
With these updates coming to an end, Android Lollipop devices will continue to work, but “won’t receive any new features, important security updates, and may not be compatible with some apps” that rely on Google services. Last July, Play services ended support for Android 4.4 KitKat.
Updates to Google Play services are currently available for Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher.
“Android Lollipop was first released in November 2014, nearly 10 years ago and since then, we’ve introduced many innovative improvements and features for Android, which are unavailable on Lollipop. Today, we are discontinuing Google Play Services updates for Android Lollipop devices since they account for less than 1% of active Android devices. Lollipop devices will continue to function but won’t receive any new features, important security updates, and may not be compatible with some apps. We strongly encourage users to upgrade to newer Android versions for the latest features and security enhancements.”
Google spokesperson
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