What you need to know
- Samsung started informing its Members app users that it will drop support for Android 7 devices.
- Users with an Android 7 device will need to update to Android 8 or higher in order to retain Members app access.
- Elsewhere, Samsung is still chugging along its One UI 7 development cycle as a recent Beta 5 patch arrived after yet another delay.
Samsung is beginning to inform its Galaxy users that it's ending support for a nearly ten-year-old piece of software.
Users on the One UI subreddit reported Samsung's recent Members app announcement about Android OS support (via SammyGuru). In an app pop-up, Samsung states that it "strives to provide a better service experience;" however, it will cut off support for Galaxy devices with Android 7 on April 1. As the publication notes, Android 7, codename: Nougat, is nine years old, so perhaps this isn't surprising.
Nevertheless, the post encourages users to update their device to "Android 8 or higher," lest they suffer the loss of Samsung Members app access.
This creates an interesting narrative because, as Samsung notes, some devices may be unable to upgrade/update OS versions. Users can check on their own first by heading into Settings > Software Update > Download and Install. In the event you have questions about your device's OS eligibility, Samsung recommends users contact its support (Customer Center).
Samsung drops support for Android 7: update or lose access after April 2025 from r/oneui
This is quite an old OS and it's a surprise Samsung kept its support rolling for its Members app for this long, as one user notes. Moreover, another post highlights Android 7's lack of proper update support for a "long while." The software has been out of commission since the second half of 2019. Users with an older device still rocking Android 7 should see if they can upgrade their device properly, and, if not, seeking the latest product might be another option.
While Samsung cleans up its Members app OS support, a more pressing matter concerns its major Android OS launch: One UI 7 — which got delayed again. Testers reported an issue with its "Natural" mode screen optimization option. The mode made displays much yellower than intended. Samsung reportedly had to take its OS back into the kitchen to fix it.
What resulted was yet another test, One UI 7 Beta 5, to continue to solve issues within the software. Several bug fixes and a solution for a Visual Voicemail crash were among the patch notes in mid-February.
We've crossed into March, meaning Samsung's days are numbered to hit its recently stated Q1 2025 release for One UI 7. The company stated in a blog post that the OS would arrive "imminently" on Galaxy devices. Samsung products with upgrade "eligibility" are set to receive it (hopefully) this month. Other "existing" Galaxy devices will have to wait a little longer.
