Support for Android 4.3 and below will end on February 1, 2017

Daniel Di Bartolo
Daniel Di Bartolo Member, Logos Employee Posts: 326
edited November 21 in English Forum

Hello, everyone!

On February 1, 2017, we will stop supporting Android 4.3 and below on all of our mobile apps. The vast majority of our users have devices running 4.4 and above, and they will be unaffected by this change.

What does this mean if I'm running 4.3 or below?

  • After 2/1/17, we can't guarantee that our apps will work properly on devices running Android 4.3 and below. 
  • If you're running 4.3 or below (not many of you are), you will still likely be able to use the app on or after 2/1, but it will eventually stop working or become unusable

What does that mean for the rest of us?

  • Nothing. Your app will continue to function as always
  • Over time, your user experience will actually improve as we are able to develop features and improvements that previously were limited by older operating systems

For those running Android 4.3 or below on an older device: we're sorry that we can no longer support your operating system. We do our best to support versions for as long as we can, but sometimes we have to make a call like this so that we can continue to provide a great app to the majority of users. 

There are some great, low-cost devices out there that run 4.4-- and I'm sure people in the forums can provide you with some great recommendations in your price range. 

Tagged:

Comments

  • Robert M. Warren
    Robert M. Warren Member Posts: 2,452 ✭✭✭

    "Hello, Everyone!" - That has a kind of marketing tone that seems incongruous with a death sentence on some users' devices.

    Similar to "Cheers," - Which ended the "he's dead, Jim" UserVoice notice on mobile sync.

    Have you guys ever sent a singing telegram to the tune "The Candyman" to someone announcing that their grandmother died? [:^)]

    macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)

    Smile

  • Mike Helson
    Mike Helson Member Posts: 3

    Thanks for the update Daniel but this is a bad news for us :( As we are using android 4.3 and below. Please try and find some solution for us.

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    Thanks for the update Daniel but this is a bad news for us :( As we are using android 4.3 and below. Please try and find some solution for us.

    Hi Mike,

    As Daniel mentioned, many features in our apps will still work on Android 4.3 or below, but we cannot continue to support Android operating system versions that drop below a certain market share. The only solution is for you to purchase hardware that can run newer versions of Android.

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    Have you guys ever sent a singing telegram to the tune "The Candyman" to someone announcing that their grandmother died? Huh?

    No.

  • Mark Barnes
    Mark Barnes Member Posts: 15,432 ✭✭✭

    I'm affected by this change (I have an e-ink tablet running Android 4.2.2), but I bow to the inevitable. Android 4.4 was released in October 2013, and it's not unreasonable for Faithlife to want to work with an OS that's no more than three and a half years old. It's good that we've got six months' notice to make new arrangements.

    It's not Faithlife's fault that Google or the tablet manufacturers have never come up with a decent way of ensuring that older devices can get updates to their OS.

    NewEgg have a tablet running Android 5.1 for $35.95. Or, if you don't mind not having the Play store you could buy a used Kindle Fire for $27.99, which is more likely to receive OS updates and keep going.

    This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!

  • Jan Krohn
    Jan Krohn Member Posts: 3,718 ✭✭✭

    I'm still running a very old Logos app version on an Android 2.3 eInk tablet. This combination should have been dead for many years, but it's still running more or less fine.

    Only about 5% of resources wouldn't open on that device, mainly very new ones.

    The last supported version of the Logos app will basically keep running on that device forever. As long as I'm not gonna force an update to a newer app version, everything will be fine.

    I'm convinced that's gonna be the same for Android 4.2. If you stop updating the Logos app after 1 February, it will not suddenly cease working, and the worst thing that can happen is individual resources becoming unusable.

    Therefore, no need to panic!!!

  • Mark Nolette
    Mark Nolette Member Posts: 508 ✭✭

    As others have said, a number of people who will be affected by this news are those who have Android e-ink devices. I have a couple of other mobile devices which won't be affected by this news. However, for extended times of reading, e-ink is easier on my eyes. 

    Faithlife was looking into the possibility of a simplified Android app geared toward people with e-ink devices running older Android OS. I would welcome that if it can be done. In the meantime, I'll use my e-ink device as long as I can read my FL resources on it. Judging from what Jan says, it might be a long while yet.  

  • P A
    P A Member Posts: 1,040 ✭✭✭

    How do I tell what version of Android I have?

    P A

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    How do I tell what version of Android I have?

    P A

    Please see http://www.howtogeek.com/230737/how-to-find-out-which-version-of-android-you-have/ .

    Alternatively, you can visit this site on your Android device: https://whatismyandroidversion.com/ 

  • P A
    P A Member Posts: 1,040 ✭✭✭
  • SineNomine
    SineNomine Member Posts: 7,043

    I'm convinced that's gonna be the same for Android 4.2. If you stop updating the Logos app after 1 February, it will not suddenly cease working, and the worst thing that can happen is individual resources becoming unusable.

    I need to remember to do that.

    FaithLife, please give us a reminder announcement or something in January, if you don't mind.

    “The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara

  • David Wanat
    David Wanat Member Posts: 1,828 ✭✭✭

    Not sure if this is workable, but since I have 4.2.2 and no likely chance to upgrade soon, I'll throw it out there. Can you consider leaving us with a Legacy version of Logos/Verbum that allows us to download and read the works we own while you continue to update the app for people with Android ≥ 4.3?

    WIN 11 i7 9750H, RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD | iPad Air 3
    Verbum Max

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    Not sure if this is workable, but since I have 4.2.2 and no likely chance to upgrade soon, I'll throw it out there. Can you consider leaving us with a Legacy version of Logos/Verbum that allows us to download and read the works we own while you continue to update the app for people with Android ≥ 4.3?

    Yes, this is already taken care of.

  • Bob W
    Bob W Member Posts: 18

    Not sure if this is workable, but since I have 4.2.2 and no likely chance to upgrade soon, I'll throw it out there. Can you consider leaving us with a Legacy version of Logos/Verbum that allows us to download and read the works we own while you continue to update the app for people with Android ≥ 4.3?

    Yes, this is already taken care of.

    I have a new android 4.4.2 phone and would like to install Logos but when I try to install it says Logos isn't compatible with my phone.  Can you tell me where I can download an older version of Logos for Android?

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    Not sure if this is workable, but since I have 4.2.2 and no likely chance to upgrade soon, I'll throw it out there. Can you consider leaving us with a Legacy version of Logos/Verbum that allows us to download and read the works we own while you continue to update the app for people with Android ≥ 4.3?

    Yes, this is already taken care of.

    I have a new android 4.4.2 phone and would like to install Logos but when I try to install it says Logos isn't compatible with my phone.  Can you tell me where I can download an older version of Logos for Android?

    Please create a new post and include information about the specific device you are using.

  • Mark Barnes
    Mark Barnes Member Posts: 15,432 ✭✭✭

    On February 1, 2017, we will stop supporting Android 4.3 and below on all of our mobile apps.

    Can you confirm the implications for Kindle Fire users? Can we assume that you will require Fire OS v4 and above (which I think will eliminate first and second generation Fires)?

    This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    Can you confirm the implications for Kindle Fire users? Can we assume that you will require Fire OS v4 and above (which I think will eliminate first and second generation Fires)?

    Hi Mark,

    Yes, Fire OS 4 and above will be required, which is equivalent to Android 4.4.2.

  • Mike Helson
    Mike Helson Member Posts: 3

    Daniel, this is not a good news. Currently, I have 4.2.2 version and no likely chance to upgrade soon Kindly provide us with some solution.

  • Martin Valman
    Martin Valman Member Posts: 5

    is it possible to rum Logos on any e-ink tablet after 1 feb?

  • Jan Krohn
    Jan Krohn Member Posts: 3,718 ✭✭✭

    is it possible to rum Logos on any e-ink tablet after 1 feb?

    It will run, but it will not be supported (basically just as before 1 Feb....)

  • Randle Bond
    Randle Bond Member Posts: 94 ✭✭

    Would've been good to know this was happening at worst on the blog for those of us not always in the forums.  I just did a complete refresh of my 4.2.2 Android e-ink device to find out I cannot install the app. Could you please post a link to the last working apk install file?

    Hopefully one day we will have some official e-ink support https://community.logos.com/forums/p/131546/856336.aspx

  • Bom dia, meu tablet é 4.4 , e não está alternando entre os livros da biblia, que faço?

    Também nao consigo visualizar os números de Strong em português, na biblia Ra+Strong, pode me ajudar? 

    Att,

    Grasiano Paladini 

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    Would've been good to know this was happening at worst on the blog for those of us not always in the forums.

    Hi Randle,

    I'll talk with the team that handles this to see if in the future we can add end-of-life notices to the blog. We announced this on the forums back in October, hoping 3 months would be enough lead time.

    I just did a complete refresh of my 4.2.2 Android e-ink device to find out I cannot install the app. Could you please post a link to the last working apk install file?

    Faithlife doesn't have direct download links to our mobile apps. If you install Google Play on your device you should still be able to download 5.11.2 to your device for the next few days.

  • David Wanat
    David Wanat Member Posts: 1,828 ✭✭✭

    So if we have to do a reinstall somewhere down the line, will we be able to install a version that does work for our older tablets?

    WIN 11 i7 9750H, RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD | iPad Air 3
    Verbum Max

  • Jan Krohn
    Jan Krohn Member Posts: 3,718 ✭✭✭

    Not sure if it's safe, but the download is certainly available from other sources as well.

    https://apkpure.com/logos-bible/com.logos.androidlogos

    (To be on the safe side, better do an anti virus scan of the file after download...)

  • Ken Shawver
    Ken Shawver Member Posts: 515 ✭✭

    Definitely not good news as I have a Samsung 10.1 Note that runs fine - although only on 4.1.2 - that I use extensively for Logos at church and such. It's unfortunate that manufactures - at least Samsung has told me - that Americans flip their devices to often to care about providing updates. It's not true but very frustrating.

    In Christ,

    Ken

    Lenovo Yoga 7 15ITL5 Touch Screen; 11th Gen Intel i7 2.8Ghz; 12Gb RAM; 500Gb SDD;WIN 11

    http://wiki.logos.com/

  • Virgil Buttram
    Virgil Buttram Member Posts: 358

    Definitely not good news as I have a Samsung 10.1 Note that runs fine - although only on 4.1.2 - that I use extensively for Logos at church and such. It's unfortunate that manufactures - at least Samsung has told me - that Americans flip their devices to often to care about providing updates. It's not true but very frustrating.

    "Your insight serves you well." That device-flipping behavior is vendor-driven, not consumer-driven. My Kindle Fire HD fell prey to the same vendor mindset.

  • Robert M. Warren
    Robert M. Warren Member Posts: 2,452 ✭✭✭

    that Americans flip their devices to often to care about providing updates.

    Sure, if they don't allow OS updates, it's self-fulfilling.

    macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)

    Smile