Millions of android users warned over Google Chrome - check if your phone will be affected

Having a phone is obviously great, but it comes with some maintenance responsibilities. Firstly, think about where you take your phone: in public transport, into the bathroom with you, on the floor, in your bed. In short, you should be cleaning the physical object itself. Then there’s the digital side to worry about: is your phone listening to you, do you have enough storage, is your device updated?

A new warning has been issued for users of Android phones as Google has confirmed that it will no longer support Chrome on older devices. Here, we’ll have a look at what Google has said and check whether your phone is affected.

What Google has said

Google has confirmed that it won’t be supporting Chrome web browser for much longer on older Android devices. The technology company has said that the software won’t stop working completely, but it won’t receive any new features or security updates. This, in turn, could lead to users being at risk of cyber crime.

According to Google’s blog on Chrome updates, the latest version of Chrome has been released. A post from 1 November reads:

Hi everyone! We've just released Chrome Beta 120 (120.0.6099.4) for Android. It's now available on Google Play.

Many believe Google will sync up this new update with the cut-off for older Android phones. Thankfully, Google will only end support for devices that can't upgrade further than Android Nougat - and this OS launched back in 2016. However, millions still have it installed on their devices.

Checking whether your phone will be affected

Google has urged people with an older Android to check whether their phone will be affected. A message will be sent out automatically to let people know about the change, but Google has added:

If you're unsure what version of Android your phone is running, simply head to Settings then near the bottom, tap About phone and then Android version.

Here you'll find your 'Android version', 'Android security update' and 'Build number’.

2% of Android users are still operating on Android Nougat, so it is worth checking if you have a phone that dates back to around that time!

Read more:

⋙ McDonald's: Here's why many people are deleting their app from their phone

⋙ The world's largest tongue is bigger than your phone

⋙ Experts reveal you should turn off your phone for 5 minutes every night, here's why

Sources used:

Mirror: Millions of Android users face Google Chrome block - check your settings now

Google Chrome releases