Next Year, Older Android Phones Cannot Access Secure Websites

Current Android 11 OS (Image Credit: Mika Baumeister / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Many older androids will no longer receive security support from a number of websites. This happens because the old Android operating system does not support website security updates.

Citing Engadget, Monday 9 November, the certification non-profit Let's Encrypt recently announced that its partnership with the certification authority IdenTrust will end on September 1, 2021.

With that ending, Let's Encrypt plans to completely switch to its own root certificates and stop default cross-signaling for IdenTrust on January 11th.

That means, according to a report from Android Police, there are secure websites that will no longer work on devices with versions of Android prior to 7.1.1 Nougat and build in 2016 or 2017.

Of course that can be a problem, because as Let's Encrypt notes, 33.8 percent of Android devices running an older version of the operating system will experience certificate errors when trying to access multiple websites starting in 2021.

So, the solution is users have to upgrade to the latest OS or replace their cellphone if the phone is no longer getting updates.

However, if you don't want to upgrade your phone, Let's Encrypt recommends owners of older Android devices to download Firefox and use it for their web browsing needs.

"So, anyone who installs the latest version of Firefox will benefit from an updated list of trusted certificate authorities, even if their operating system is outdated," Let's Encrypt said in a blog post.