Version 9.6.3353 not compatible with Android 8.1.0

Hi  

I will check this with my team and shall update you further. Kindly check this retirement calendar for your reference. Would you please suggest what is the device you are using that is currently facing this issue? 

Hi Shweta 

I checked the retirement calendar you quoted, but I'm not sure what I should find there. My mobile and my tablet, which are both on Android Oreo, have version 9.6.3339 of Intercept X. So those are on the 9.6 branch, which is does not have a maintenance stop nor a support stop date specified.

As for the devices, these are as follows:

In case you point out the patch level of my devices, unfortunately that's the way it is for local brands here in the Philippines. You would consider yourself lucky if your device got one OS update from the manufacturer for the entire useful life of the Android version that shipped with it. But it has always been that way and my devices were getting app updates for Intercept X until this problem happened.

I know the devices are getting old, but I'm not scheduled to replace these until Android Oreo's expected end of life, which should be around the last quarter of this year.

Please let me know once you have something. Thanks in advance.

I have the same error message. I am running 9.6.3339 on a Lenovo 7 inch tablet with Android 8.1.0 on patch level of June 2020. It says it has an upgrade to 9.6.3353 available, but Play Store mentions it is not compatible with that device.

Looks like I'm not the only one having this problem. I guess it's important to highlight here that @mite3cybersec has an up-to-date Android Oreo yet he is also experiencing it.

And I'm still getting virus definition updates. As of 1751H yesterday Philippine Standard Time, my devices have definition version 3.79.0:2020071003, so I'm still not sure where the disconnect is with the app upgrade.

Shweta, are there any updates from your team? Please advise.

True, I have the same issue.

• When you look at Google Play --> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sophos.smsec --> It says Android 5.0 and up. So that cannot be the issue.
• When you look at their retirement calendar --> https://community.sophos.com/kb/en-us/121634 --> It says 9.5 support ends December 2020 and 9.6 ends June 2021. So that cannot be the issue.
• I am running at June 2020 patch level of Android 8.1.0, and you August 2019 and September 2018. I dare to say that ain't the issue. Also because security patch level does not impact compatibility related requirements.
• We both receive signature updates, so the app in itself works fine (just as the other features). And the warning in Sophos is just because we have an older version than the Play Store version installed.

My best bet that it is a one (or more) of the following issues.

• Secundaire specs went up (think about RAM requirements).
• Hardware features are required with update that appear not to be present in our devices.
• Some screensize / form-factor requirements changed.
• Geo-location issues (which I doubt, as it works on my other devices).

And please note, the above can also just be accidental (as in someone messed up the listing in Play Console and/or in the APK).

Hi there, 

I have checked this with my global escalation team and it would require an in-depth investigation, hence I would request you to open a support case and PM me the case number. 

Hi Shweta,

I initially posted the case number here as a reply but took it down and sent it to you via private message after reading your message for a second time.

I also sent my ticket number through a PM.

I did not try it yet myself, but you could try manual download and installation: https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sophos-limited/sophos-mobile-security/sophos-mobile-security-9-6-3353-release/

Thanks, but I think I'll pass on installing from third-party sources.

I wonder how the investigation is doing though. Their support people actually replied to my ticket saying only paid users can file a case number, so my best guess is my ticket is either dead in the water or automatically closed.

Update:

Your issue has been escalated to our development team with the above reference number. Issues are prioritised based on severity and customer impact. We will discuss your case with development and provide preliminary analysis and next steps by latest end of next week.

Update:

Your issue has been escalated to our development team with the above reference number. Issues are prioritised based on severity and customer impact. We will discuss your case with development and provide preliminary analysis and next steps by latest end of next week.

Sounds like it's getting somewhere now. Thanks for the update! Greatly appreciated.

@mite3cybersec, do we have any news by any chance? Shweta, perhaps you could help with putting in some pressure with your development team regarding this matter?

No real progress. I got a message back that the problem has likely to due with a X86 processor architecture. I replied that I have ARM 32-bit.

And I also received evasive behavior of Sophos Support, stating that I should contact Google (because Play Store is wrong...). I replied to that that I cannot go to Google, as I do not have support there. In addition, any fix needs to applied by Sophos anyway.

So, no progress and back to square one I guess.

Let's wait and see....

I am horrified (if not just deeply shocked) with what you said, and I quote:

"...I also received evasive behavior of Sophos Support, stating that I should contact Google..."

As you have said before, your ticket stayed open because you are an authorized partner. But despite the fact, they tried to...blame it on Google? I mean, really? That's an awful treatment of an authorized partner, not to mention a lame excuse. Come on, Sophos, you have to do better than that. I've heard of stories where Dell's call center people immediately blame the antivirus program installed on their customer's computer when something doesn't work, and this evasive behavior you mentioned is not very different from that story.

I did some search on the internet. The Android security bulletin shows the updated AOSP versions still include 8.0 and 8.1, so Oreo is still supported. At the time of this writing, I am unable to find the other material I previously read, but what I recall is that this problem may occur if the app developer published an update at a higher API level. Developers may be interested in doing that if they want to publish app features that will not work in lower API levels. I'm no programmer but I think that pretty much translates to "they raised the minimum required operating system version", so older versions end up becoming incompatible.

What doesn't make sense though is that how come Google still releases updates for its apps under Oreo while Sophos appears to just have dropped it? I just updated Files by Google and Carrier Services yesterday. Upon checking right now, Google Go has an update available and waiting for me to install. I also use other non-Google apps like Firefox Lite and Signal Private Messenger, both of which I was also able to update yesterday. So the question for Sophos still stands: what's going on?

Shweta, perhaps you could relay this to your development team? It's very disturbing, especially the kind of behavior witnessed first hand by an authorized partner who is also experiencing the same problem. If Google still makes app updates available to Oreo users, I think it makes sense that you do the same. To the very least, continue to publish updates for Oreo until around the end of the year, which should mark it's third year from date of first release.