Waze will no longer work on smartphones with Android 9 and below

In the beta version of Waze (5.9.90 and above), the minimum system requirements have been increased to Android 10. Previously, the application worked on devices with Android 8 and higher. Some beta testers are already receiving messages that Waze no longer supports Android 9. Although the application is still functional, new features and updates will only be available on Android 10 and higher.

As a rule, the transition from beta to stable version takes one to two weeks, so the changes may take effect in the near future. According to data at the beginning of the year, only 5.8% of Android devices use Android 9 or older versions, so most users will not have problems. It is not yet known which system features that are missing in Android before version 10, the navigator plans to use.

Google Maps, as before, works on Android 8+, remaining an available alternative. Older versions of Waze installed through Google Play or downloaded from third-party sources will continue to function for some time.

The issue of long-term support for Android devices remains relevant: major brands usually offer at least two years of updates, but many lesser-known companies neglect this, and some Chinese manufacturers still release new models with outdated versions of Android. Despite Google’s Project Treble initiative, the Android ecosystem still faces barriers to regular updates.