Android 14 may prevent Android 14 users from installing old versions of apps. This is bad news for those who suffer from problems with certain versions of an app and end up downloading the APK outside the Play Store to use it normally again. This was discovered in the source code of the new mobile operating system, where it shows that Google is working to create stricter API requirements that will prevent the installation of old applications.
Noticed by the site 9to5Google, the source code of Android 14 will block, by default, all applications from old versions, also known as “outdated”. With this, operating system users could not go back to using an old version with APK files, in addition to preventing application stores from installing these versions that are not recent.
However, it seems that developers will be able to make the block more user-friendly, allowing some applications to roll back to older versions, avoiding only those that can really cause problems. This should make Android more secure against malicious apps, which use vulnerabilities that have been fixed in recent updates.
Security at the cost of freedom
Due to the great freedom for modifications, Android has created a reputation for being an insecure operating system (OS). Because of this, Google is constantly working to soften or erase this image that people have of its mobile OS. The latest solution being the one given above which prevents installing older versions of the apps on Android 14.
Release and availability
According to the website 9to5google, the beta version of Android 14 will have two testing phases before the stable version of Android 14 is released between the third quarter of 2023, but there is a chance that it will be released in early 2024 as well.
