Google has long been concerned about the relevance of Android apps – for example, for several years the company has indicated that programs published on Google Play must support the new Android security features and options. Only this month, in January, the corresponding guidelines were updated – now new applications must support APIs from at least Android 12. However, in the future, Google will tighten control over the relevance of programs for the “green robot”.
In fact, now the restrictions on the part of the “corporation of good” are imposed only on utilities intended for Google Play – there are no limits on applications from other sources. But in Android 14, according to new edits in the source code, everything will change, and the system will completely block the installation of outdated programs from any source. This was noticed by 9To5Google.
Initially, on devices with Android 14, only applications designed for very old versions of the system will be prohibited. However, over time, the restriction will be strengthened to Android 6.0, and later the bar can be raised even more. However, 9To5Google reports that, with a high degree of probability, each Android device manufacturer will determine the threshold for blocking outdated applications, as well as the need to implement it.
According to official data, the main reason for the increased ban on the use of legacy applications is security concerns, since developers of malicious applications can use old versions of the SDK (and already do so in practice) to bypass new APIs.
Nevertheless, it will still be possible to install an outdated application if there is a special need – through the command line using the new flag. In this scenario, the probability of accidentally installing viruses is much lower.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
