Google Calendar might soon stop working on old Android devices

The current stable version of the Google Calendar app for Android can run on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and newer versions of the operating system. However, according to a new report from TheSpAndroid, Google might soon change the minimum version of Android required for running the app to Android 8.0 (Oreo) and up. It means that Google Calendar will soon stop working on devices running on Android 5.0 – 5.1.1 (Lollipop), Android 6.0 – 6.1 (Marshmallow), and Android 7.0 – 7.1.2 (Nougat).

According to the publication, the latest version of the Google Calendar app for Android (v2023.46.0-581792699-release) contains a flag called UnsupportedOperatingSystem. Once it is enabled, the app will show this message when you install the app on devices running on a version of Android that’s older than Android 8.0 (Oreo): “Your current Android version is no longer supported. Please update your operating system to continue using Google Calendar.” At the moment, the flag is disabled by default. But Google might decide to enable it with the next version of the app.

Usually, companies and developers find it hard, time-consuming, and expensive to keep their apps compatible with very old versions of an operating system. Plus, older versions of an operating system are more prone to security threats. These could be the two primary reasons why Google is planning to drop the support for Android 5.0 to 7.1.2 for Google Calendar. Recently, Google took a similar approach with Google Chrome, and the web browser now runs only on Android 8.0 (Oreo) and above.

Time to upgrade

If your Android device is running on a version of the OS that's older than Android 8.0 (Oreo), you should consider replacing it with a new one. If you don’t, one by one, many apps on it might stop working over the next few years. If you are looking for the best Android smartphone, you can’t go wrong with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. In case you don’t want to spend that much, you can take a look at the Galaxy A54, Galaxy A34, and Galaxy A14. However, if you want to try something new and go for a foldable device, there’s nothing better than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5.