Pokémon GO Is Dropping Support for Older Android Devices — Is Yours on the Chopping Block?

Even three years after its initial release, Niantic's Pokémon GO is still going strong. If you're an Android user still on the hunt for your city's latest Pokémon haul, however, you'll want to listen up — Niantic is cutting support for aging Android devices, meaning soon your dream of catching 'em all may be coming to an end.

Niantic announced the change via Twitter on Tuesday, June 19. In the tweet, the company states Pokémon GO will stop supporting Android 4.4 KitKat starting July 1, 2019. Therefore, if your Android device is running anything lower than Android 5.0 on the first of July and after, you'll, unfortunately, see an error message when attempting to launch GO.

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Are you among the Android users who will be affected by this change? There's about a one-in-ten chance you are. See, 10.7% of the Android community currently runs Android 4.4 or lower, with 6.9% of users running KitKat itself. That's a sizable chunk of the Android user base, many of which could likely be avid Pokémon GO fans.

So, how can you tell if your smartphone is running the soon-to-be-defunct KitKat? Unfortunately, there's no clear-cut list out there to run your phone by. Instead, check out our guide here to see your phone's software version. You're hoping for Android version 5.0 or higher. If so, you're in the clear. However, if you see 4.4 or lower, that's where your issues start.

• More Info: How to Tell Your Android Version & Build Number

If you determine your phone won't be able to play the game in July, then what? Well, really only one of two options. First, you can update your phone, if it supports Android 5.0+. If you check your software updates and find KitKat to be the latest update for your phone, the only other option really is to buy a new phone.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Cover image by Jake Peterson/Gadget Hacks