Millions of Android smartphones will find themselves deprived of certain web sites from the year 2021. Indeed, phones running a version of Android prior to Nougat 7.1.1 will no longer be able to consult sites that rely on Let's Encrypt certificates for their HTTPS connections. Explanations.

33.8% of Android smartphones will be deprived of 30% of websites as of next year.

De facto, all devices restricted to a version of Android later than Nougat 7.1.1, and equipped with the DST Root X3 certificate, will no longer be able to consult HTTPS sites that use the ISRG Root X1. According to Let's Encrypt, 30% of websites rely on the certificate signed with IdenTrust. "Some software that hasn't been updated since 2016 (around when our certificate was accepted by many programs) still don't trust our root certificate, ISRG Root X1," details Let's Encrypt in its press release.

33.8% of Android smartphones in circulation worldwide are running a version prior to Nougat 7.1.1. Ultimately, these millions of smartphones will no longer be able to access 30% of websites by September 21, 2021. The phones will display "certificate errors when users visit sites with a Let's Encrypt certificate", details the certification authority. In short, you will simply be blocked as soon as you arrive on the site. According to Let's Encrypt, abandoning the Root X3 DST will also deprive users of certain Android applications that connect to a website using HTTPS to function. Again, if the site relies on the certificate signed by IdenTrust, the application will no longer be able to run on the Android smartphone or tablet.

Let's Encrypt recommends installing Firefox.

Aware that many users will not be able to invest in a new smartphone by September 2021, Let's Encrypt offers a workaround: install Firefox, Mozilla's web browser. As a partner of Let's Encrypt, Mozilla uses "its own list of trusted root certificates" including the Root X1 ISRG. Chrome, Opera and other web browsers rely on the certificates embedded in the mobile OS. "Firefox is currently unique among browsers, anyone who installs the latest version of the browser benefits from an up-to-date list of certificate authorities, even if their operating system is completely obsolete," says Let's Encrypt.

Source: phonandroid.com