Hi all
Customers often ask us for a list of supported versions. The MaaS360 System Requirements (see link at end) shows the details for:
- Supported OS versions for devices
- Supported browser versions for administrator console
- Supported software and OS versions for Cloud Extender
Recent changes to support for Android devices
We've recently announced the end of support for Andoid 5 and 6 devices. As you know we're currently on Android 14 and expecting Android 15 later this year. Android 5 was released in 2014 and Android 6 in 2015, so if you still had these devices they would be up to 10 years old! As you may know Google's stated strategy is N-4 so current and 4 previous versions supported, meaning that at present Google would support from Android 10 upwards for now, which will move to Android 11 and upwards when they release Android 15.
This blog applies equally to other device versions so if you have iOS / MacOS / Windows devices please continue reading as the same principles apply. See end of document for links.
What does end of support mean?
You could continue to retain these devices on your MaaS360 instance if you wish - but this isn't recommended as there are a number of new features - and more importantly a number of security features and fixes - released with newer OS versions. If you choose to retain these devices you will just end up with a scenario where if a software defect ("bug") is found with an unsupported version, you would be told that no resolution is possible due to Google not issuing any more patches for these versions.
Why does IBM end support for older versions?
When we release an application version we have typically tested with the newest OS versions so that we can support it. As you know also we support "zero day" upgrades meaning when a new OS version is released, we have already been working with the platform provider (Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung) to ensure that we avoid issues as much as possible. You will understand that as the market evolves we need to ensure that more recent versions are tested.
It is worth noting that as in other examples, IBM typically continues to provide support for older versions even when the platform provider has stopped support. So while Google would have stopped supporting Android 5 in 2022 and 2023 respectively, we have continued supporting them up to now. But as you will understand, once a platform provider ceases support, software fixes are no longer possible on that platform.
Another point you should note is that by the time support is stopped, most of the major software defects in any given version have usually been ironed out meaning that you can continue in maintenance mode while you plan to replace devices.
Where can I get information about currently supported versions?
The MaaS360 System Requirements page tells you the OS versions we support as well as supported browser versions for the administrator console, and supported software and OS versions for Cloud Extender. See link below.
Relevant links
IBM notifications page for OS version support change (announcement described above):
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6557008?myns=swgother&mynp=OCSSYSXX&mync=E&cm_sp=swgother-_-OCSSYSXX-_-E
Please remember that if you want to get these as proactive email notifications you should click on the link above, log in with your IBMid, and sign up to receive notifications.
MaaS360 System requirements page
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/maas360?topic=saas-maas360-platform-system-requirements
Feedback
As always please let us know your thoughts below.