Getting "no longer supported" message when opening gmail though Safari on Windows based laptop. Are others having problem? Any solutions?

It may be related to the fact that Safari seems to be no longer updated for the Windows platform. The last version was 5.1.7 in May 2012.

I am receiving the same message each time I log on to GMail, but I am using a MacBook Pro with OS X version 10.6.8 and Safari 5.1.10. I didn't think that Apple had quit supporting Safari at this level for this machine. Will I have to upgrade to Mavericks and the latest version of Safari to fix the problem? I hope not. Perhaps FoxFifth can offer some guidance or comfort.

Dave

I believe that Safari 5.1.1 is the last version for 10.6.8 --- see Apple - Support - Downloads

The following has information on what OS X upgrades are possible (if any) for your Mac. I do not have any expertise on whether an upgrade is advisable for a specific model so you may want to start a new post asking that question and giving details about the model of your MacBook Pro.

OS X 10.6 is getting a little long in the tooth these days... Considering 10.10 will be released in the near future, probably within a few weeks at the outside.

My thanks to you and KiltedTim.

I've done a little research since I posted my query. Safari 5.1.10 was issued on September 12, 2013, and is, indeed, the last version suitable for my OS X 10.6.8. If it true that my operating system is about to become completely outdated, and it appears that is the case, I will have to face the problem of upgrading, if my now six year-old MacBook Pro even has the capacity.

Things simply move too quickly for me nowadays. ****, I still have some 4-cent post cards. If you don't know what those were, check with your grandfather.

Thanks, again

Dave

And I thought your username "Ancient User" was referring to your OS X version 😉

Can't check with my grandfather as I'm way too old to have one living -- and probably older than you!

Hang in there, Old Timer!

Howdy all...

I don't think I am going off the reservation by suggesting... Firefox? Chrome? Especially for a Windows system. If gMail is the primary goal, the Google product seems the logical choice. Mozilla's Firefox is the elder statesman of all the choices.

CCC

Google seem to have decided in the last week or so that Safari 5.x, which is the newest Safari version available for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard) is "not supported" any more, even though there are many reasons for staying with these OS X versions.

Try this (at your own risk, but it works for me), as it seems to remove the message by tricking Gmail into thinking your Safari version is newer:

-- Quit Safari

-- Locate the following file (location depends on your OS X version):

OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard:
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/WebKit2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Info.pl ist

OS X 10.5 Leopard and older:
/System/Library/Frameworks/WebKit.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Info.plist

-- Drag the file to your Mac's desktop to make a copy. Also make a safe copy somewhere else eg your Documents folder, as if you lose or mess up the file Safari will not launch at all. Having a backup browser is also recommended.

-- Double-click it to open it in TextEdit

-- Locate the CFBundleVersion value (the last line in the file that has numbers in it) and increment the second digit of it to the required version of Safari e.g. Safari 6 now seems to be the minimum version that Google support so change the second number from 5 to 6 (don't change anything else, only the change the second number). The value is different depending on your OS X version but as an example, for Snow Leopard 6534.59.10 becomes 6634.59.10

-- Drag the file back from the desktop to its original location, choose the option to replace the old version, and enter your password when prompted.

-- Run a permissions repair in Disk Utility to set the permissions in the file back to what they should be (not required, but good practice).

-- Launch Safari and test Gmail.

Thanks. GMail is a fairly important consideration. I hate to think about changing my address, and informing the two or three people who might want to continue communicating with me.

WOW! Those are some sort of instructions. Thank you for going to the trouble. I have copied and pasted them into a document I will file under "very important things to think about doing". I'm just not certain I'm bright enough to try what you suggest, and willing to run the risk of fouling up my poor little computer for good. I appreciate your guidance.

Dave

A totally different thought would be to simply abandon Gmail - you do realize that Gmail (Google) reads every incoming and outgoing email? For the purpose of "tailoring the ads just for you" (they claim), i.e. you tell a friend that you went fishing and up pop the ads for such gear. I abandoned Gmail when that started (as well as Google) - I won't have anything to do with such practices. It isn't that difficult to send out a final/last mass email with your new address after having opened another - there are plenty of free online email providers.

I haven't yet allowed Google to get to me. Perhaps I'm oblivious. However, your thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

Thank you. Does this fix address whatever the incompatibility is between gmail and Safari 5.1.10 (if there even is one)? Or is it just to stop the error message from displaying?

There is no incompatibility, it's just Google detecting what they deem to be a version of Safari that is to be too old and displaying this annoying message - Gmail still works fine otherwise, showing that there is no actual incompatibility or reason why Safari 5 is "too old". This change just makes Gmail think that you have a newer version of Safari.