Page Summary
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Google Maps Platform SDKs for Android support an Android OS version for 6 years after its initial major release, with support frozen annually in the third quarter.
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Google Maps Platform SDKs for iOS support an iOS version for at least 3 years after its initial major release, with support typically frozen in the second quarter.
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New SDK versions are tested against older OS versions back to the minimum supported version, with fixes backward-compatible for 12 months after initial release.
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Maps SDK for Android follows Google Play services' OS support schedule due to its runtime inclusion, while its client library is versioned separately.
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Google Maps Platform supports the latest and previous major versions of common web browsers on desktop, Android, and iOS.
Mobile OS version support policy
As mobile operating systems evolve, and as we launch Google Maps Platform features and updates, we freeze support for older mobile OS versions.
Freezing Google Maps Platform SDK version support to specific Android and iOS versions helps Google scope and scale its SDK testing.
This section describes the Google Maps Platform support policy for mobile platforms. This policy covers only Generally Available (GA) products.
OS support freezes aren't covered by the 12-month notice period for Discontinuation of Services, as defined in the Google Maps Platform Terms of Service.
Project Owners receive proactive notifications about changes that affect each of their projects. Stay informed about major updates, deprecations, and other changes.
Terminology
Android min OS version support table summary
| Latest SDK version which compiles with this OS version (release date) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android version | Maps SDK (client lib) | Nav SDK | Places SDK | Driver SDK | Consumer SDK | |
| Android Nougat - API Level 24 (2016) | Latest | Latest | Latest | Latest | Latest | |
| Android Marshmallow - API Level 23 (2015) | Latest | 6.3 (6/18/25) | 4.4.1 (7/06/2025) | 6.2 (6/18/2025) | Latest | |
| Android Lollipop - API Level 21 (2014) | 19.2.0 (4/14/2025) | 4.99 (7/06/2023) | 3.5.0 (5/28/2024) | 4.99 (8/09/ 2023) | 1.99.1 (8/ 31/ 2023) | |
| Android KitKat - API Level 19 (2013) | 18.2(10/18/2023) | 3.2(10/07/2021) | 2.7.0(11/01/2021) | 3.0.4 (7/28/2021) | 0.9.28 (5/18/ 2021) | |
iOS min OS version support table summary
| Latest SDK version which compiles with this OS version (release date) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS version | Maps & Nav SDK | Places SDK | Consumer and Driver SDK |
| 16 (2022) and above | Latest | Latest | Latest |
| 15 (2021) | 9.4 (3/18/2025) | 9.4 (3/10/2025) | 9.2.1 (3/28/2025) |
| 14 (2020) | 8.5 (4/1/2024) | 8.5 (4/1/2024) | 3.3.0 (3/6/2024) |
| 13 (2019) | 7.4 (2/27/2023) | 7.4 (2/27/2023) | 2.2.1 (4/17/2023) |
| 12 (2018) | 6.2 (4/25/2022) | 6.2 (4/25/2022) |
Android OS support policy
New releases of Google Maps Platform SDKs for Android support an Android OS version (API Level such as 29 and 30) for at least 6 years after initial release of that OS version. OS freezes can be introduced without incrementing the major version number.
For example, for an Android version released in 2020, new releases of the Places SDK for Android will support that version until at least 2026.
From time to time, as usage of an Android OS that is at least 6 years old has sufficiently decreased:
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Google will freeze support on that Android OS version, making the one-higher version the minimum supported OS version in new releases of SDKs for Android.
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As a consequence, you'll need to decide whether to:
- Adopt the latest SDK version, and raise the minimum supported OS for new versions of your app and specify build dependency versions accordingly.
- Or stay on the previous SDK version, which can limit your ability to receive bug fixes in a backward-compatible manner per the SDK Support section.
For example, Google may freeze support of Android 7 (API Level 25, released 2016), making Android 8 (API Level 26) the minimum supported OS in new versions of Google Maps Platform SDKs for Android. App versions built with earlier versions of the SDK will continue to run on devices running Android 7, and app versions built with versions of the SDK released after this point won't be able to run on devices running Android 7.
The exception to the OS version freeze schedule is Maps SDK for Android, which is delivered as part of Google Play services.
Maps SDK for Android
Maps SDK for Android falls outside of this OS version support policy. The Maps SDK for Android runtime is included as part of Google Play services (also known as "Google Mobile Services" or "GMS Core"), which is required for running Google apps on Android devices. Because Google Play services follows its own Android API Level support schedule (as illustrated by this announcement), the support schedule for Maps SDK for Android is dependent on Google Play services OS support. For information on which Android API versions Google Play services runs on, see Google Play services setup.
However, the Maps SDK for Android client library (API facade) that works with the maps runtime on Google Play services is versioned and supported on specific Android API Levels as per the Android OS support policy. When building apps with Maps SDK for Android, developers set the client library version as a dependency.
If an app is using a newer version of the client library but is being run on a device with an older version of Google Play services, any newer features being called won't operate on those devices. No app crashes or exceptions occur.
From time to time, Google Play services may restrict the release of applications built with older client library versions (API facade). When this happens, you will get a warning upon publishing your application in the Play Store, and may be blocked from making more releases thereafter until the library is updated. Learn more in the Play Console Help Center.
For more information about Android releases, see the Android SDK platform releases.
iOS support policy
New releases of Google Maps Platform SDKs for iOS support an iOS version for at least 3 years after after the initial release of that OS version. OS freezes can be introduced without incrementing the major version number. See Android OS support policy for examples.
SDK support
When Google releases a new version of a Google Maps Platform mobile SDK:
- Google has tested this version against OS versions back to the stated minimum supported OS version.
- Future SDK fixes within 12 months after this version's initial major release will be backward-compatible*
with this version.
- * Excluding 1. Backward incompatibilities that may be introduced by SDK dependencies, e.g. Kotlin; and 2. Backward incompatibilities due to the minimum supported OS version. These changes may be introduced without increasing the Major version number.
- Beyond 12 months after this version's initial major release date, SDK fixes may not be backward-compatible with this version.
- Google will fix backend issues caused by Google Maps Platform services until the SDK version is decommissioned.
IDE support
Google Maps Platform SDKs for iOS are compatible with development for iOS in Apple's integrated development environment Xcode. Different versions of Xcode include different versions of the Swift programming language as well as SDKs for different versions of Apple operating systems.
Google periodically raises the minimum version of Xcode supported in new major versions of Google Maps Platform SDKs for iOS. Check release notes and supported software topics to see the minimum supported version of Xcode for the version of the SDK that you want to build with.
Browser support
The Maps JavaScript API and Maps Embed API support the following web browsers:
Desktop- The current version of Microsoft Edge (Windows), excluding IE mode.
- The two latest major stable versions of Firefox (Windows, macOS, Linux).
- The two latest major stable versions of Chrome (Windows, macOS, Linux).
- The two latest major stable versions of Safari (macOS).
- The current version of Chrome on Android 4.1+.
- Chrome WebView on Android 4.4+.
- Mobile Safari on the current and previous major versions of iOS.
- UIWebView and WKWebView on the current and previous major versions of iOS.
- The current version of Chrome for iOS.