Android 14 may prevent you from install old apps

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  • Although the next version of Android isn’t expected until late this year, now is a good time to start sniffing around for what’s to come. Google is working on stricter API requirements to prevent Android users from installing old apps, according to a recent change to the Android 14 source code. It’ll be a boon for security but a bummer for Android purists who prefer to customise their smartphone experience via sideloading.

According to a source, Android 14 will by default block any apps aimed at particularly old versions of Android, with the intention of starting with the oldest versions and working up to block apps all the way through Android 6. If an app developer, even an independent one, does not write their app to more recent source code, Android will refuse to instal it. Device makers may be able to make the block more lenient (by allowing apps aimed at specific older versions but not others) or disable it entirely, but the base instal on Pixel devices will have it fully enabled.

This should make Android feel more secure, especially against malicious apps that use old exploits to access sensitive parts of the source code. Because Android 6 was the first time Google required apps to ask for access to your contacts, location information, and internal storage, it is considered the baseline. To get around this, the nastiest apps tend to target older versions of Android.

The Android mobile operating system has been available for quite some time. However, because of its openness and tinkerability, it has earned a reputation for being risky to use if you aren’t fully aware of its flaws. That’s bad for Google, which is why it appears to be constantly working to reduce that stigma with new features—and why it wants you to only download apps vetted through the Play Store. When installing apps from the web, you may not have as much freedom as you are used to with the next version of Android. However, this may signal the end of Apple‘s use of sideloading as an excuse for Android being less secure than iOS.

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