diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 271b55b6..4275fa1e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -24,3 +24,5 @@ coverage.xml
 
 # vscode files
 .vscode/*
+
+dist/
diff --git a/push_notifications/__init__.py b/push_notifications/__init__.py
index 24a7be7e..4c56fc4e 100644
--- a/push_notifications/__init__.py
+++ b/push_notifications/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import sys
+import warnings
+
 try:
     # Python 3.8+
     import importlib.metadata as importlib_metadata
@@ -5,4 +8,12 @@
     # <Python 3.7 and lower
     import importlib_metadata
 
+if sys.version_info < (3, 10):
+    warnings.warn(
+        "Python 3.9 and earlier support is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. "
+        "Please upgrade to Python 3.10 or later.",
+        UserWarning,
+        stacklevel=2
+    )
+
 __version__ = importlib_metadata.version("django-push-notifications")