O Google announced the permanent discontinuation of the iconic version of the Android, the KitKat 4.4. As of July 2023, this version of the operating system is officially discontinued and will no longer receive updates through Google Play Services.
This means that devices still running Android KitKat will not be able to receive app updates and will be unable to access any Play Store services, since it will not be possible to sign in to a Google account.
Android KitKat was released in October 2013 and was the first “sponsored” version of the platform for tablets and smartphones. The name was licensed from Nestlé, continuing the tradition of giving each version of the system the name of a candy in alphabetical order. This version focused on optimizing the operating system, enabling better performance on less powerful devices, and also introduced changes to the interface, such as the use of white buttons.
Currently, according to Google, less than 1% of active Android users are still using the KitKat platform.
