READ THIS NEXT: Google Just Issued Another Urgent Warning to All Android Users. In May 2022, Google announced that it was killing off one its Android apps altogether later this year. According to the tech giant, the YouTube Go app will begin shutting down in August—although for Android users who have not already previously downloaded the app, it’s already no longer available on the Google Play store. This app, which was first launched in 2016, was designed to address problems with the main YouTube app, helping Android users access the video platform even when “in locations where connectivity, data prices, and low-end devices” kept the original app from working properly. Now, another app might be inaccessible to you, depending on when you last updated your phone. If you like playing games on your Android, you’ll want to make sure its updated. On June 13, software development company Niantic announced that the Pokémon Go app will no longer support devices running on the Android 6 (or “Marshmallow”) OS. According to the company, Android users running on the Android 7 OS, also referred to as “Nougat,” or higher will not be affected by this change. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Android 6 is one of oldest operating systems for the tech giant, having been first released in 2015. Since then, Google has rolled out seven other major systems for these devices, with Android 13 being the latest to drop in June 2022. According to Niantic, there have been “some major improvements” to Android OS in the time since Marshmallow was released in 2015. “By removing support for Android 6, we are able to streamline our development process and focus resources on supporting newer operating systems and technologies,” the software development company said. “A vast majority of Android users have migrated to Android 7 and above. As players migrate from older operating system versions to newer ones, we periodically update our supported device requirements to focus on the devices our player base uses.” Despite Niantic noting that a “vast majority” of Android users have moved to Android 7 OS or higher, nearly 2.3 percent of all Android devices still use the Android 6 OS as of May 2022, Statcounter reports. Given Android’s reach, that’s tens of millions of users. If you fall into that group, “you will need to update your OS to continue to access Pokémon Go,” Niantic warned.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “We encourage Trainers to update their OS to continue playing without any interruptions,” the software development company added. According to Google, you can get the latest Android updates available for you by going to “Systems” in your phone’s Settings app. “If you are not sure which version of OS is installed on your Android device, you can find this information in the device settings. Go to Settings [then] General [then] About,” Niantic advised. READ THIS NEXT: Security Experts Just Issued This Urgent Warning to All Gmail Users.
