If you are still holding on to decade-old devices running on Android 2.3.7 or older versions, it’s time to move on. Google has announced that beginning September 27, the tech giant will not allow users to sign in on devices that run on Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread and other versions that were launched before 2010.
So, if you sign into your device after Sep 27, you may get username and password errors on Google products such as Gmail, YouTube, Play Store, Drive and Maps.
“If your device has the ability to update to a newer Android version (3.0+), we advise you to do so in order to maintain access to Google apps and services on that device,” the company said in an update.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our users safe, Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting September 27, 2021,” the company added.
If you cannot update your device to a newer Android version (3.0+), you can try to log into your Google account on your device’s web browser.
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According to the Google support page, the following actions will result in a “username or password error”:
- Try to sign in to Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps
- Add or create a new Google Account
- Perform a factory reset and try to sign in
- Change your Google Account password, which signs you out on all devices, and try to sign in again
- Remove your account from the device and try to re-add it
The Cupertino-based company claims that this is being done to protect user account privacy. In order to continue Google services, the users will have to upgrade to Android 3.0 or higher.
