Sorry, but Google is terminating its Gmail support for some platforms this year. The Mountain View giant announced the bad news early this week alongside its call for users to upgrade their Chrome to the latest version of the browser.
On the G Suite Updates blog, the team behind the web-based e-mail service stated that Windows XP and Windows Vista users will be most affected by its move. Apparently, the dated Windows platforms only support Chrome browser v49 because XP and Vista are no longer maintained by Microsoft. The Redmond-based tech company announced back in 2015 that it was abandoning the two platforms.
Because Windows XP and Windows Vista only have support for v49 of Chrome, they will not be able to load or open the updated Gmail interface. Google’s browser is currently on version 55. The latest version has very important security updates and on top of that it is very different from v49. Thus, Google is encouraging users who are still using v53 and below to upgrade to v55 as soon as possible.
Google warns that users who will not update their browser to the latest version will be vulnerable to attacks. The security updates can prevent these attacks. Also, the latest version comes with new features and bug fixes. For people who will not be updating this year, they will still have access to Gmail. However, when December 2017 comes, they will only be able to load the basic HTML version of the service.
For Windows XP and Windows Vista users, Deccan Chronicle recommends upgrading to a newer operating system. Of course, if they wish to continue using the platforms, they can just rely on third-party browsers when accessing Gmail. However, the news site says there is no guarantee that these third-party browsers can keep the users’ Gmail account safe.
Google is serious in promoting Chrome browser v55. Hence, starting Feb. 8, users who have not updated their browser to the latest version will see a banner on top of their Gmail interface. The banner will be there to encourage and inform users of the need to upgrade to the up-to-date version of Chrome.