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E

Element Android

COMMS
Velocity1.7

Decentralized, secure messenger for the Matrix protocol — Android client.

element.io ↗

Renamed to "Element Classic" — managed sunset in favor of Element X.

matrix-protocollegacy-sunsetmigrationsecurity-fixesdependency-maintenancesecure-messaging
◆Current state
The legacy Kotlin client was renamed to "Element Classic" in October 2025 and has been on a maintenance-and-migration cadence ever since. Recent releases are dominated by interop plumbing for Element X — exposing internal services for the new client to consume, fingerprinting Element X nightly builds, hiding the "Verify this device" banner during migration — alongside dependency bumps, a Google 16KB page-size compatibility pass, and a high-severity sender-spoofing CVE fix.
◆Where it's heading
The trajectory is a managed sunset. The README now recommends Element X; the rename declares legacy status; the in-flight work is about making the handoff to Element X smooth rather than evolving the classic app. Release cadence is slowing and the changelogs are getting shorter and more infrastructural.
◆Prediction
Expect the cadence to slow further toward security-and-dependency floor patches only. Feature work has already moved exclusively to Element X Android. A final-release notice is plausible within 6–12 months once Element X reaches full parity for enterprise customers still on the classic build.

◆Recent moves

  1. 7d ago

    Crypto SDK bump to 26.05.12

    Single dependency bump of the Rust crypto component. No user-visible change; consistent with the maintenance-only cadence the classic client is now on.

    View source ↗
  2. 14d ago

    Expose internal service to Element X; hide verify banner

    Migration plumbing release: exposes a service so Element X can read internal data, adds fingerprints for Element X nightly builds, hides the "Verify this device" banner that interrupted migration, and exports room-keys version. Every change is in service of the handoff to Element X.

    View source ↗
  3. 1mo ago

    Element X interop service; hide verify banner

    First release of the Element-X interop service exposure and the verification-banner hiding. The same changes were rolled forward into 1.6.56; the consistent thrust is making the classic client a data source for the new client.

    View source ↗
  4. 2mo ago

    16KB page-size compatibility; verification banner; Jitsi 11.5

    Non-dismissable verification banner, Google 16KB page-size compatibility achieved, Jitsi mobile SDK bumped to 11.5.1, and opusencoder upgraded. The 16KB compatibility was a forced compliance task; the banner is part of the migration-nudge UX.

    View source ↗
  5. 3mo ago

    MSC3824 OAuth stable; remove Flipper; crypto SDK bump

    Stable MSC3824 OAuth 2.0-aware support lands, Flipper is removed from the codebase, the default bug report URL is updated, and several dependencies are bumped. The MSC3824 work is the most strategically interesting line — quietly modernizing the auth model on the classic track to stay interoperable with the new one.

    View source ↗
  6. 7mo ago

    Renamed to Element Classic

    ⚡ SPARK

    The app's display name changed from "Element" to "Element Classic". This is the formal sunset signal — the rename relegates the codebase to legacy status, and every subsequent release has fit the maintenance-and-migration pattern.

    View source ↗