According to Tom’s Guide, Surfshark has announced it is discontinuing support for Android 5.0 Lollipop. This means devices running that operating system, which launched in 2014, will no longer receive any future app updates from the VPN provider. The app is now only compatible with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and newer versions. Surfshark’s stated reason is to accelerate development of new features and strengthen overall app security. This follows a similar move from October of last year, when the company dropped support for older iOS and macOS systems. The existing app won’t stop working, but it won’t get critical security patches, leaving users potentially vulnerable.
The Inevitable Tech Sunset
Here’s the thing: this isn’t really a surprise. Android 5.0 Lollipop is a decade old. In tech years, that’s basically a fossil. Supporting legacy code is a massive drain on development resources. Every new feature has to be tested and made to work on ancient architecture, which slows everything down. And for a security company like Surfshark, that’s a real problem. They can’t be held back by software that Google itself abandoned ages ago. So, while it’s inconvenient if you’re holding onto an old tablet, the logic is sound. They’re choosing to protect the vast majority of their users on modern systems rather than stretch themselves thin for a tiny, shrinking fraction.
A Clearer Industry Trend
Look, Surfshark isn’t doing this in a vacuum. They did the same thing to old iOS and macOS versions just last year. Every major app developer faces this same calculus. At some point, the cost of support outweighs the benefit. We’re seeing it across the board. And honestly, it pushes the entire ecosystem forward, even if it feels like forced obsolescence sometimes. The real takeaway? If you’re using any software for security—a VPN, an antivirus, a password manager—you simply cannot be on a deprecated operating system. The app might open, but it becomes a security liability itself. What’s the point of a VPN if the app running it has unpatched vulnerabilities?
What Can You Actually Do?
So, what if you have an old Android 5 device? Surfshark suggests a few workarounds, like manually configuring the VPN connection or using their browser extension. But let’s be real: those are clunky solutions for most people. The best advice, even if it’s annoying, is still to upgrade your device if you can. The older the OS, the more exposed you are on every front, not just with your VPN. I think we’ll see more of these announcements from other security-focused apps soon. It’s a necessary pruning. The focus is shifting to newer threats and technologies, like the post-quantum encryption Surfshark just rolled out—stuff that old platforms simply can’t handle. Basically, the tech world’s patience for 10-year-old software is officially running out.
