Waze ends support for older Android phones as Android 10 becomes minimum
Update restricts access to new features on older devices; Google Maps remains a fallback for some Android 8 and 9 users.
Waze will stop delivering updates to devices running Android versions older than Android 10, effective for its latest beta releases. Beginning with version 5.9.90 and higher, the navigation app requires Android 10 as a minimum. Users with Android 8 or 9 devices may continue to run Waze, but they will not receive new features, bug fixes or performance improvements.
On older phones, tablets or aftermarket car infotainment units, this change means the newest maps, real-time incident reporting, and other tools will not be available. Google Maps remains a fallback option for those devices. Waze's strengths — crowdsourced traffic data, reports of incidents, police locations and price information — rely on regular updates to the app and associated services, which older OS versions will not receive.
The update highlights a common pattern in software development: moving toward newer OS versions to enable advanced features and stronger security. For many Android users on modern devices, the impact is minimal. However, for owners of older hardware, especially in vehicles where upgrading hardware is harder, the change reduces access to Waze's latest features while potentially affecting reliability as backend protocols evolve.
For users who rely on Waze, several steps can help. Check the Android version on your device by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Information. If possible, upgrade to Android 10 or newer, or consider upgrading the hardware to a device that supports newer OS versions. Some aftermarket car head units can receive software updates that add Android 10 support, though availability varies by manufacturer. If upgrading is not feasible, Google Maps remains available on Android 8/9, offering turn-by-turn navigation and traffic data, though it may lack some of Waze's community-driven features.
Analysts say the change reflects broader industry shifts toward security and feature parity with newer devices. For most users, the move will be a non-issue; for others, it may prompt a hardware upgrade or a switch to an alternative app. Waze's community-driven data flow will continue on supported devices, but fans of the app on older hardware should plan ahead to avoid losing access to updates and improvements.
