Google is preparing to implement new security features that will provide users with additional protection while downloading and using apps from the Play Store. The business has specifically cautioned developers that apps that have not been updated in a long time to adapt to new Android versions would no longer be visible in its app store and, as a result, will be unavailable to users.

This action will begin on November 1, 2022, according to the company’s official developer blog. It will apply, above all, to Google Play apps that have not received an update from the developer in the last two years. Although there are certainly some apps that don’t need to be updated on a regular basis, the Mountain View company makes it a point to ensure that they all support the most recent Android versions.

As a result, developers who do not update their apps and include at least one API available over the two years following the latest version of Android will see their apps disappear from Google Play and their number of new user installations decline.

Few apps are in this situation

Because obsolete apps do not have the security and privacy features released in the most recent versions of Android, Google claims that the major objective is to provide additional protection to the user. However, the business stresses that just a few apps do not receive updates. It will also provide extra tools so that developers with outdated apps on Google Play may upgrade them to include the new security features.

“Existing apps that do not target an API level within two years of the last major release of Android will no longer be discoverable or installable by new users using Android devices as of November 1, 2022. The app’s desired API level is higher than the Android OS version. The required timeframe will be changed as new Android OS versions are introduced in the future.”

For months, Google Play Store has been taking steps to improve security and privacy.

Google Play implemented various privacy and security protections for its application platform a few months ago. Google, in particular, is pressuring app developers to be more open about the information they collect from users. It also forbids users from requesting data that is unrelated to the app’s functions.

Google also prohibits the distribution of apps that promote sexual content. Apps for sexual encounters or with explicit content, such as pornography, are among them. Remember that each candidate application is subjected to a review process before being published in the Google Play Store. As a result, even before they are available on the platform, these are blocked.