At the end of this year, a whole series of apps in the Play Store will no longer be visible. That’s because Google has decided to hide all apps made for an older version of Android. Apps that are two versions behind, and therefore did not receive an update for two years, can no longer be installed.
hidden apps
Google is taking the reins more tightly in the Play Store. This week, Google announced that unused apps will automatically lose all permissions on Android phones, but the next measure goes even further. Apps that have not been optimized for the latest version of Android for two years in a row will be hidden from users by Google from the Play Store, the company says in a statement. blog post†
This decision by Google is a new security and quality standard for Android apps. Apps that have not been updated for two years with the latest Android features, as well as security and privacy features, are no longer considered eligible for users.
Impact on users and developers
The measure that will take effect from 1 November has major consequences for both users and developers. It is not clear how many apps are affected by this. Android 13 will be released this fall and by then developers must have at least implemented an update that is aimed at Android 11. Google does make it clear that developers who need more time to update their apps can ask for a postponement this time.
And for users, the decision also has major consequences, because in the Play Store all apps that do not meet the conditions can no longer be installed. This also applies to older apps that still work flawlessly in practice. If you have one of these apps installed on your phone, you can continue to use them. Only if you have uninstalled them, you can no longer install them from the Play Store.
In certain cases, this decision could give users a reason to sideload apps again when they are no longer available in the Play Store. That is, you install the apk file from another source, which increases the chances of malware on your phone. What do you think about this decision by Google? Is it a good step to make Android apps more secure for users? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.
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– Thanks for information from Androidworld. Source