Key Points:
- Google Wallet, the digital wallet service by Google, is raising the minimum operating system (OS) requirements for Android devices and Wear OS.
- Starting June 10, Google Wallet will mandate Android 9 or higher on smartphones and Wear OS 2.x or higher on smartwatches, citing security concerns.
- Users on older Android versions, specifically Nougat (7.0, 7.1) and Oreo (8.0, 8.1), as well as earlier Wear OS iterations, will be impacted by this change.
In a bid to bolster security measures, Google has announced significant changes to its Wallet service, affecting users with older Android and Wear OS versions. Effective from June 10 onwards, Google Wallet will require Android 9 or later for smartphones and Wear OS 2.x or above for smartwatches.
This move comes as a response to the inability to provide security updates for Android versions preceding 9. Consequently, features like tap-to-pay transactions will necessitate the updated OS versions to maintain security integrity.
Notably, users on Android Nougat (7.0, 7.1) and Oreo (8.0, 8.1), along with earlier iterations of Wear OS, will feel the impact of this change. Google’s proactive approach aligns with its commitment to safeguarding user data and transactions, albeit at the expense of compatibility for devices running older OS versions.
