Google to stop updating Play services for Android Jelly Bean

Time to say goodbye? Google is finally ending Play Services support for devices on Android Jelly Bean.

Expandable notifications from Jelly Bean (Photo from GSMarena)

End of support for Jelly Bean after 9 years

This coming August 2021, the search giant will push the Play Services APK version 21.30.99. It will be the last time that Jelly Bean devices will see an update. It applies to all variants of the OS, including Android 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3.

According to Google, Android users are running Jelly Bean is less than 1 percent of the total Android users are running Jelly Bean. This means this decision should only affect a small number of users. 

To clarify, devices with Jelly Bean will still function. However, they will experience app problems and will be major security risks.

Google also reminds developers to drop support for Jelly Bean. If they set their apps to target API version 19+ (Android 4.4 KitKat), Jelly Bean devices will still be able to install older versions of the app, but they will not see newer versions.

On the other hand, if an app has a significant portion of its user base that is still on JB, developers can upload multiple APKs to the Play Store so that even Android 4.1-4.3 devices can continue receiving app updates.

First rolled out in 2012, Jelly Bean brought some significant like  Project Butter, which made the UI run smoothly. Aside from that, it was able to have notable additions such as Google Now (previously named Android Beam) and a number of audio improvements.

In addition to this, Jelly Bean introduced expandable notifications. This allowed notifications to hold more content than before. Notifications could show up to three buttons so this gives the user instant access to key actions. For an instance, a missed call notification would give you the option to call or message the person who called you.

Jelly Bean also made improvements on the home screen. It enabled live wallpapers to be previewed before applying them and it introduced resizable widgets.

After launching Jelly Bean, Android 4.2 was released then 4.3 arrived in 2013 but the Jelly Bean name was retained. 

Source: Android Developers Blog, Via: GSMArena