Waze is dropping support for older Android versions

Although it isn’t unusual for Google to have multiple apps for the same or similar functionality, it is atypical for it to allow these multiple apps to exist — so much so that we can’t fathom the idea. Waze goes a step further, with Google not only allowing it to prevail but also updating it with new features once every few months. But as Waze continues to evolve, it is targeting newer versions of Android and dropping support for the older ones.

Waze has started informing users that it will no longer work with older Android versions. Reddit user djstoxer recently spotted a notification informing them that Waze will soon stop receiving updates on their car’s head unit, which runs on Android 9 Pie.

Upon analyzing the latest versions of the app on APKMirror, we discovered that the newest beta version requires a minimum of Android 10, compared to the previous version, which supported Android 8 Oreo and Android 9 Pie as well. The same requirement should follow soon on the stable channels as well.

This change is most likely to impact those who use their old tablets for navigation or have generic Android-based in-car entertainment systems with older versions of Android. However, if you still use an old phone that hasn’t been updated to Android 10 yet, it could be a sign you need to upgrade to a new phone.

Notably, while Google will no longer update the app, it will continue to work as usual. You may no longer receive any new features, but the existing ones, especially the terrific traffic updates or user-generated reports, should work fine. You should also receive any updated maps with changes to existing routes or the addition of new ones.

Meanwhile, if upgrading your Android device isn’t an option, you could use Google Maps as an alternative, as its app currently works on all systems beyond Android 8 Oreo.