You might have to upgrade your phone if you want to keep using Samsung Health

Users who want to continue using the Samsung Health app will have to update their devices to Android Oreo or switch devices, or alternatively download another health and fitness app instead.

Samsung health running on older Android devices (Samsung)

Samsung's Health app is a popular service found on its Galaxy smartphones, which helps users connect to their fitness trackers while including other features like step tracking, weight monitoring and social features like participating in other activities with your friends. These features make it one of the best free fitness apps on Android.

However, users of Samsung's older Android devices have started to receive a notification (picture below) informing them that the Samsung Health app is dropping support for older devices - in about a month's time. According to SamMobile, the Samsung Health app has notified users that their app will no longer be updated after March 22.

Owners of older Samsung devices have begun to see this this message.  (SamMobile)

Owners of older Samsung devices have begun to see this this message.  (SamMobile)

It is not uncommon for app developers to drop support for older versions of Android - this is usually done to make sure that your app's file size is smaller and doesn't include unnecessary libraries just so it can run on a small percentage of devices. Even apps like Nova Launcher are currently testing a beta version of the app that requires Android Oreo and above.

If you're a Samsung device owner and your phone is below Android Oreo, your Samsung Health app's existing offline features will continue to work after March 22, according to the report. But what you won't have access to is all the internet-based features, which will likely be shut off eventually. You also won't get any new features, since the app itself will not receive any updates after that date.

Last month, we reported that the South Korean electronics giant had upgraded its health app with a Group Challenge feature in the ‘Together' section of the app, to let users track which friend reached various goals first. Users who want to continue using the Samsung Health app will have to update their devices to Android Oreo or switch devices, or alternatively download another health and fitness app instead.