Google has announced that on November 1st, 2022, they are going to hide and block the installation of older Android apps. These are apps that have not been updated in a very long time and do not target the later versions of Android. The company said they are doing this because of potential security risks. This will result in people not being able to install thousands of audiobooks, comic books, reading and manga apps. Normally, these apps work fine, even if they are abandoned.
Current users of older apps who have previously installed the app from Google Play will continue to be able to discover, re-install, and use the app on any device running any Android OS version that the app supports. If a user has not installed the app before, it will no longer be listed on the Play Store and be unable to be installed. Google notes the “vast majority” of Google Play apps already meet the new requirements and won’t be impacted by the policy change. For other apps, this notification serves to allow reputable developers the time to make the necessary updates.
To aid developers in the transition, Google published a technical guide to help migrate apps to the target API levels, along with Help Center documentation which includes the exact timelines for the changes. It’s also offering developers the ability to request a six month extension if they need more time for their migration through a form that will be available in the Play Console later this year.
I think this is a good move, there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of apps that haven’t been updated in years. They obviously won’t have support for Android 11 and Android 12. Many apps don’t support higher DPI devices, and the latest generation of smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks won’t get the best experience. Single developers who have spent thousands of dollars to develop apps, will have to spend ever more time and money to support Google Billing for in-app purchases and add support for the latest API’s. This can be a very expensive proposition.
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