Phones running Android 2.3.7 or older will be banned from Google accounts starting next month

If you have a much older phone running Android 2.3.7 or older, starting September 27th you will no longer be able to use the device to log in to your Google account. 

This build of the Android operating system was first released in December 2010 and added support for near field communication (NFC) used for mobile payments. 

The version of Android that preceded Gingerbread was Android 2.2.3 Froyo and Gingerbread was followed by Version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for phones and Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets.

The Android Help Google support website says that "As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our users safe, Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting September 27, 2021. 

If you sign into your device after September 27, you may get username or password errors when you try to use Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps."

Past versions of Google, including Gingerbread, are memorialized at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California

If your older Android device can be updated to Android 3.0 or higher, do so immediately (or at least before September 27th) so that you can continue to log in to your Google account. 

Google adds, "If you cannot update your device to a newer Android version (3.0+), you can try to log into your Google account on your device’s web browser. 

You can still use some Google services when logged into Google on your device’s web browser."

To access your Google Account using a browser, open your phone's browser app and go to myaccount.google.com. To access Gmail from your phone's browser go to mail.google.com.