TL;DR
- Google has phased out Play services support for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with Android 7.0 now required for this core function.
- This caps off a nearly 11-year run for Android 6.0, longer than any other Android version has been supported by Google.
- While core functions like calling and texting will still work, Android 6.0 devices will miss out on security updates, leaving them vulnerable to cyber threats.
Given that Android phones have been around for nearly two decades now, there comes a time when Google has to end support for one of its older software versions. For a couple of years now, Google Play services has been supported on devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or newer. That has changed over the past few weeks, with Google deciding to retire this software version after a nearly 11-year run.
A thread on Reddit highlights this relatively recent development, while also pointing to the Google support page that now lists Android 7.0+ as the software requirement for Play services to operate. We were able to view snapshots of the support page from June, which mentions Android 6.0 and up being the requirement.
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