Google has announced new Play Store policies that ban any existing Android apps that are severely out of date. All apps in the Store must target an API level within two years of the most recent major Android version, or they will not be discoverable or installable, according to its Android Developer blog. According to the company, the goal is to “protect users from installing older apps that may not have these protections in place,” The amendments will take effect on November 1st, 2022.
Google now mandates new apps and app upgrades to target an Android API level within one year of the release of the newest Android OS version. The new changes, on the other hand, are aimed at existing apps that haven’t been updated in a long time. If you’re using an older device, Google states that you’ll “continue to be able to discover, re-install, and use the app on any device running any Android OS version that the app supports.”
According to Google, the “vast majority” of apps already conform to the upcoming standard. Although this is valid, the Play Store contains over 2.87 million apps in total, so there is undoubtedly a large number that requires attention. Those that do not comply will be notified and given any resources needed to upgrade.
Over the last several years, there has been a significant increase in the number of new security measures implemented by Play. The most notable occurred in 2017 when Google released Play Protect, which used machine learning to detect malicious apps. Some, however, continue to get through, posing security dangers and invading user privacy. The new policy may assist to stop some of them, but not all of them.
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