The Play Store will soon hide old apps in the name of security

Keeping abandonware off your phone

There was a time when we reported obsessively on the number of apps in the Play Store, but that was mostly before it was even called the "Play Store." After all these years, there are more apps than you could ever need—so many, in fact, that we can honestly do without the older ones. Security has been a major feature of recent Android updates, but those abandoned apps don't support all the new requirements. Later this year, Google is taking steps to ensure that the apps of yesteryear don't negatively impact your security.

Currently, Google requires that new apps and app updates target an API no more than one version behind the latest. However, there are a ton of old apps that have gone un-updated for years. Google won't remove those apps from the Play Store, but you probably won't see them as often. Later this year, apps that are more than two API versions behind will no longer be installable or appear in search. Google says most apps in the store abide by these standards and will be unaffected.

There are some important caveats here. Apps you have previously installed or purchased will still be visible even after the change. It's just new users that will be shielded from legacy software. In addition, you will see older apps if you are using a phone or tablet running a corresponding version of Android. For example, a phone running Android 9 Pie (API 28) will still be able to see apps that target API 28. If you're on 10 or later, those apps will be hidden.

According to Google, the rationale for this change is simple. If you're using a phone with an up-to-date version of Android, you would naturally expect all these advanced security features to, you know, work. Apps that target older API levels ignore many of these features. Apps that have gone without an update for nearly a decade could be downright dangerous to run now. ​​​​The change will take place on November 1, 2022. That gives developers some time to prepare, but as many of the affected apps are abandoned, they will most likely fade into obscurity.