This hack is specific to ancient versions of Android, and is not used on current or future versions. So there is no need to deal with it in any codebase that isn't completely dead.
Ancient but still shipping. I can go into a store and pick up a Samsung Galaxy Ace running 2.3 today. A significant minority of 2.3 based phones are still being sold, especially for budget/Pay As You Go users.
This hack will need to remain in the codebase for a significant time.
