Waze is about to end support for millions of phones

Bad news if you’re clinging onto an older Android for sat-nav duties; popular navigation app Waze is raising the minimum requirements to use its app. 

Google’s community-driven navigation app is ending support for devices on Android 9 Pie and earlier, meaning those phones, tablets and many Android-based car head units will stop receiving crucial app updates soon.

The news first broke via Reddit, with one user claiming to have received a Waze notification alerting him to the impending changes.

The latest beta of the Waze app also requires Android 10, and it’s expected to land on the stable app in the coming weeks or months, signalling the end of support for potentially millions of Android devices around the world. 

Will you still be able to use Waze on older devices?

Now, before you start panicking and buying a new phone or tablet, it’s worth noting that Waze isn’t going to suddenly vanish from your device. 

If you’re on an older device running Android 9 or earlier, the app should still continue to function for now, but you’ll be frozen on the current version you’ve got installed.

That means you’ll no longer get any new features, bug fixes or security patches. That’s fine for now, as everything is working smoothly, but as the service evolves, older builds can become unstable, so it’s very much a case of “it works… for now”. 

Of course, this isn’t just going to catch out older Android smartphone users. There are plenty of repurposed and generic in-car infotainment systems that still run Android 9 or earlier and, given the cheap, generic nature of these accessories, it’s highly unlikely they’ll get an update to Android 10 or later. 

In fact, it’s believed that roughly one in eight Android devices is still running Android 9 or earlier, so the impact is likely going to be larger than many expect. 

Why is Waze doing this?

Dropping legacy OS support lets Google focus on more modern Android APIs and security standards, which allows the company to speed up development times and ensure a smoother experience for the vast majority of users. 

It’s a common trade-off we see in the world of smartphone apps, but it’s especially frustrating for users when a car’s embedded system can’t be as easily upgraded as a smartphone or tablet.

Of course, you don’t need to upgrade your hardware – you simply need to switch from Waze to another navigation app like the excellent Google Maps, which supports devices running Android 8 and later. 

It already shares the same data as Waze, given that Google owns both – you just miss out on some of the more social elements of the experience. But hey, it beats buying new tech right?

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