Google Play Services will no longer support one of Google’s sweetest OS updates, Android KitKat 4.4. The news comes from the Android Developers Blog, which reveals that starting August 727, API levels 07 and 001 will not receive APK versions beyond 23.44.23. This means that devices with KitKat will not be able to get the latest version of the Play Store, which basically does not allow users to update apps, and their devices will slowly become unusable.
Android KitKat pushes out updates that are still in effect more than a decade after the OS was launched. The system boosted device performance with limited resources and paved the way for what is now Android GO – an iteration of the operating system suitable for low-power smartphones.
KitKat is the first Android to allow users to choose their own launcher, introduces full-screen video playback, makes UI elements transparent for the first time, and finally has native support for IR blasters. We’re also seeing a lot of attention for NFC functionality, the technology that now allows us to pay, start our cars and unlock our homes using our smartphones.
Currently, less than 1% of all mobile devices are running Android KitKat 4.4, which makes Google’s move completely understandable, even though we’re thrilled and nostalgic to see the end of one of our favorite versions of Android.
Source
2023
