New Southwest App incompatible with my device

[AMrohnke78]

The SW mobile app is saying not compatible with my Samsung J3 phone.  I've tried to load it for the past few months when I travel to no avail.  Please help if possible.

[PghDebbie]

The new Southwest App continues to be incompatible with my Samsung Galexy S6. Please provide the solution for those of us receiving this message so that we can utilize Southwest as much as we'd like to!  I do not see that a solution was provided.

[FLGolfer]

The new 2020 SWA app is not compatible with my Android 6.0 phone.  Is there a solution?

[dfwskier · Accepted solution]

---

@FLGolfer wrote:

The new 2020 SWA app is not compatible with my Android 6.0 phone.  Is there a solution?

---

I'm afraid you only have two options:

1) Connect to the SW mobile web site via a browser

2) Get a newer phone

Apparently it is difficult to build an app that is compatible across multiple versions of an OS,  so SW   builds in compatibility  only to those versions that most people  currently  use.

I'm android 7.0. I'm next

[GrumpyOldMan]

The official story is that the app requires Android Version 6 or above.

It will not load on a device with Android 6.0.1 - the official story is incorrect.

It's not nice when you try to retrieve your boarding pass and get blocked by this.

That's what you get when the coding is done by the lowest bidder.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Why is this tagged as a solution?

It is not a solution.  Not even close to being one.

[dfwskier]

---

@GrumpyOldMan wrote:

Why is this tagged as a solution?

It is not a solution.  Not even close to being one.

---

It's likely marked as a solution because it is fact. It may not be fact you like, but just because you don't like the fact doesn't mean that it isn't one.

If you don't like the fact, feel free to complain to the airline via one of the methods listed under "contact us" below.

[NicoleAshley · Accepted solution]

The earliest version of Android our App supports is 7.0, and we apologize for any frustration, @GrumpyOldMan.

[GrumpyOldMan]

This is the one and only place on all of southwest.com that says "7.0" - every other place says "6.0 or higher"

The only reason to require 7.0 is that the app coders are un-skilled.  You-all could be doing better.

PS:  Empty apologies do not make things better.  Apologies should include "and we will do" for them to mean anything.

[chgoflyer]

---

@GrumpyOldMan wrote:

This is the one and only place on all of southwest.com that says "7.0" - every other place says "6.0 or higher"

The only reason to require 7.0 is that the app coders are un-skilled.  You-all could be doing better.

PS:  Empty apologies do not make things better.  Apologies should include "and we will do" for them to mean anything.

---

That was a screenshot from the Google Play app store. That's where you download the app. It says 7.0.

Where are you seeing it show "6.0"? Perhaps post a screenshot so that Southwest can correct this?

Technology changes. It's certainly frustrating, but absolutely not a sign of un-skilled coders that newer apps require newer operating systems. Newer apps often take advantage of features that are written into the latest operating systems.

And requiring an OS that is at least three OS's ago is not really that unusual, or -- in my opinion -- asking too much.