Last Monday (24) Google announced that support for Android KitKat will be discontinued in new versions of Google Play Services starting in August 2023. This decision marks the end of an era for KitKat, which will end support shortly before its tenth anniversary.

With this change, as of version 23.30.99 in August, future releases of Play Services will no longer support devices still running Android 4.4 (API levels 19 and 20) as KitKat support will be dropped.

Released in October 2013, Android KitKat was a milestone for the Android platform. This is because he was responsible for launching a number of important features that have gone down in the history of the device and the operating system and are used almost to this day.

These include the implementation of an immersive full-screen mode, built-in support for printers, support for subtitles and subtitles in the video player, an improved dialer with speed dial and smarter caller ID, emoji on the Google keyboard, and the Google Now page on the home screen.

Google’s decision will affect few users

However, almost a decade later, Google has decided to prioritize support for more modern Android platforms that enable enhanced features and security updates. The decision is based on the recognition that KitKat support in Play Services requires additional development time without significant user benefit.

Google reports that less than 1% of active Android devices are still running KitKat, meaning that only a few users will be affected by the company’s decision. Given the small number of users, continuing to support the old platform on Play Services becomes less practical.

Users who still have KitKat-based devices may consider upgrading to a newer Android phone or custom ROM to ensure they always have access to the latest Google apps and services. Over time, apps may also stop supporting KitKat as Google Play Services no longer supports the old platform.

Whatsapp: is it possible to listen to remote audio?
Even after deleting the audio, there are ways to listen to the recording again on iOS and Android devices.

Via: Android Control

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