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Google Is Deliberately Showing You Lousy Old Versions Of Itself To Force You To Update Your Web Browser

google Larry Page and Sergey Brin
google Larry Page and Sergey Brin

REUTERS/Chip East

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Google has been accused of intentionally displaying old versions of its site in order to convince web users to install the latest browser software 

The BBC reports that users took to Google’s online support forum to complain about seeing outdated versions of the site. Expecting an apology and a fix for the issue, they were surprised when a Google employee appeared and told them that it “isn’t a bug” and in fact “working as intended.” 

One user posted screenshots that show Google displaying an old version of the site from 2013 because his web browser hadn’t been upgraded to the latest version.

Old version of Google screenshot
Old version of Google screenshot

MadFranko008

Many commenters using older versions of the Opera and Safari web browsers reported similar issues, with Google displaying versions of the site that were often years out of date.  

This version of Google Image Search dates from before the site’s 2010 redesign.

Old Google Image Search
Old Google Image Search

MadFranko008

In 2013, users of Internet Explorer 9 were stopped  from accessing Gmail after the browser was added to Google’s list of unsupported browsers, in favor of Internet Explorer 11.

Google regularly ends support for the third-oldest generation of each major web browser. A 2011 post from the company explained that “Older browsers just don’t have the chops to provide you with the same high-quality experience.”

Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.