Sooner or later, all of your electronics will become obsolete. To that point, Google announced last week that any devices running Android 2.3.7 or lower will no longer allow users to sign in starting on September 27th, 2021. When you attempt to sign in to Google on a device running Gingerbread after September 27th, you will likely run into username and password errors.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread launched on December 6th, 2010. If you’re reading this, it’s very unlikely that you’re doing so on a device running Gingerbread. Nevertheless, it’s clear that some Android users are still signing on with devices that came out over a decade ago. Therefore, Google is giving those users a helpful heads up before it permanently disconnects them.
How to sign in to Google on Android 2.3.7
If you own a device running Android 2.3.7 or lower, you really only have two options. If it is possible to update your device to Android 3.0 or higher, you should do so right away. As long as your old device is running Android 3.0 or higher, you should be able to continue logging in to Gmail, YouTube, and Maps without issue. If you want to find out what version of Android your phone or tablet is running and see how to check for updates, head to this page on Google’s support site.
The other option is to upgrade to a new device. The fact that your phone or tablet has survived for a decade is incredibly impressive. I’m ecstatic if my phone lasts more than two years. It is unclear if or when Google will start to shut other old versions of Android off from signing in. That said, you can still sign in from your browser, even after the apps stop working.
Google has provided a list of all the ways older Android devices could encounter errors this fall:
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Perform a factory reset of your device and try to sign in.
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Change your password either on the device or on a different device, which then signs you out everywhere else. When you try to sign in again, you will receive the error message.
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Remove your account from your device and re-add it.
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Create an account on the device.
If you do decide to upgrade this fall, you’ll be doing so just in time to pick up a Pixel 6, which Google unveiled on Monday. The Pixel 6 doesn’t actually have a release date yet, but it will be one of the first devices to run Android 13 this fall (and Google will let you sign in).
