After years of lagging behind Apple with its long-term support for iPhones, Android manufacturers have stepped up to the plate. That said, while old phones might slow down with use, in theory, they never truly become unusable if all the parts are still working. It does get more difficult living with an old Android phone, though, and Google holds the reins to a crucial aspect: easy access to applications. The company quietly released an update to its Play Store that blocked devices running Android 6 Marshmallow from accessing the store, increasing the minimum supported version to Android 7 Nougat. As Android Authority notes, the move ended nearly 11 years of support for that version, the longest span to date.