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Sunsetting of ESS Classic and Element Classic mobile apps – FAQ

General

What is happening?

We are sunsetting Element Server Suite Classic (ESS Classic) and Element Classic mobile apps. Both products have successors that have been available for some time. The successors are new developments, more powerful and built on a current technology stack.

Maintaining multiple versions in parallel is not sustainable in the long term, which is why we are discontinuing the Classic versions. This means that customers still running on the Classic backend and/or mobile apps are asked to migrate to the new product generations.

Who is affected?

All customers who currently have the ESS Classic backend and/or Element Classic mobile apps installed and in use.

Timelines

When will the software be sunset?

  • ESS Classic (backend): End of April 2027
  • Element Classic (mobile apps): End of December 2026

Until when will I receive updates?

Updates, including security updates, will be provided up to the respective sunset dates listed above.

What is the impact on my environment?

Are there any immediate changes?

For ESS Classic there will not be new non-LTS after the 26.4 LTS release (i.e., 26.5 or later). 25.10 LTS and 26.4 LTS are the last supported release streams for ESS Classic. They will be served with updates until their respective end of life date (25.10 in October 2026; 26.4 in April 2027). There won't be any other releases for ESS Classic beyond these.

For the Element Classic mobile apps nothing will change immediately. Users will get updates until the end of life date end of December 2026.

What changes after the sunset date?

In short: No further updates, including security updates, will be released.

  • ESS Classic: Running systems continue to work but they are out-of-support and do not get updates, especially security updates.
  • Element Classic mobile apps: If a user uninstalls the mobile app, there is no way for them to reinstall it. If they do not uninstall, then it keeps working (applies to both iOS and Android).

We therefore strongly recommend upgrading to the Pro products before the sunset date to keep your systems secure and supported.

How to migrate?

Backend: ESS Classic → ESS Pro

In order to migrate the ESS backend from Classic to Pro, there are two guides. The first one will give you a high-level introduction to the migration and will highlight the differences between the product generations. The second guide provides all the details on how to conduct the migration technically.

If you are not yet familiar with ESS Pro, you should look at the following guides.

Mobile Apps: Element Classic → Element Pro

In order to migrate from the Element Classic mobile apps to Element Pro, the below guide will look at the differences between the mobile app generations and give you all the information needed to conduct the migration.

Is there a dependency between the backend migration (ESS Classic to ESS Pro) and the client migration (Element Classic to Element Pro)?

No. The client migration can be conducted with either backend generation. The only backend prerequisite to be able to use Element Pro is that it must provide Matrix Authentication Service (MAS). If you have a long running ESS environment and have not yet migrated to Matrix Authentication Service (younger environments usually have started off on MAS right away), the migration can be conducted on either, ESS Classic (admin console UI based) or ESS Pro (CLI based).

Does it matter whether I do the MAS migration on ESS Classic or on ESS Pro?

Not really. You can do it either way. If you do it on ESS Classic you get some guidance in the admin console UI. In ESS Pro the process is purely CLI based. See the above documentation links for more information. For the migration from ESS Classic to ESS Pro it does not make a difference.

No. If you are running ESS Classic and the Element Classic mobile apps, you can do either migration first. Should you decide to migrate the mobile apps first, make sure to have Matrix Authentication Service (MAS) up and running as outlined above.

To keep the surface for issues as small as possible, it is not recommended to do the migrations simultaneously.

Is there a tool to help with the upgrade to ESS Pro?

Yes. There is an interactive migration tool that will guide customers through the process. See the technical migration guide for more details.

Is there a video tutorial for the migration to ESS Pro?

Yes, you can find a video walkthrough here.

What happens to my existing data during the migration?**

Your existing data will be carried over to the new version during the upgrade.

Support

Where can I get help with the migration?

Our team is available to support you throughout the upgrade process. Any questions, please reach out via Element Support.