Google has announced that it will be preventing the discovery and installation of outdated apps on Play Store starting on November 1, 2022, according to a blog post by Google’s Director of Product Management Krish Vitaldevara on April 6. It will affect users who update their Android phones with the latest software or have purchased new Android phones. “...existing apps that don’t target an API level within two years of the latest major Android release version will not be available for discovery or installation for new users with devices running Android OS versions higher than apps’ target API level.” — Google Vitaldevara added that a majority of apps abide by the company’s standards. The company said that the developers have been notified well in advance in case their app is not compliant. It will also provide resources to developers to make the transition. The adjustment is not expected to be too much of a disruption for developers as Google requires new apps and app updates to target an Android API level within one year of the latest major Android OS version release, TechCrunch revealed in its report. Moreover, Vitaldevara wrote in the post that current users of outdated apps will be able to “discover, re-install, and use the app on any device running any Android OS version that the app supports." The requirement is expected to hit apps that have been abandoned by their developers, and the ones which do not keep up with the latest Android API updates, TechCrunch reported.…
