Google Stops Google Play Service Updates For Android Lollipop Devices

Google will stop updating Google Play Services for Android Lollipop devices. (photo: x @autolysis)

JAKARTA - Thursday 11 July, Google announced that it will "stop updating Google Play Services for Android Lollipop devices." Android 5.0 officially launched in November 2014, where Lollipop only represents less than 1% of current active devices.

Lollipop introduced iteration first from Material Design to Android, followed by Lollipop 5.1 in March 2015.

When Android phones and tablets stop receiving monthly OS updates and security patches, they still get a new version of the Google Play Service. This backend service supports a number of first-party features, such as backup and two-factor authentication, as well as other capabilities for app developers.

Google is discontinuing Play Service updates for the Android version when its number of active devices is low, with Lollipop (API levels 21 and 22) currently less than 1%. Stopping support allows companies to focus on devices with more capable hardware and a newer operating system that supports modern features.

With this update termination, the Android Lollipop device will still work, but "will not receive new features, important security updates, and may not be compatible with some apps" that rely on Google services. Last July, Play Services ended support for Android 4.4 KitKat.

Updates for Google Play Services are currently available for Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher.

"Android Lollipop was first released in November 2014, nearly 10 years ago and since then, we have introduced many of the innovative upgrades and features for Android, which are not available on Lollipop. Today, we are discontinuing Google Play Services for Android Lollipop devices as they cover only less than 1% of active Android devices," said a Google spokesperson.

"The Lollipop device will continue to work but will not receive new features, important security updates, and may not be compatible with some apps. We strongly encourage users to upgrade to a newer version of Android for the latest security features and improvements," a Google spokesperson added.