Google has started an Outdated PlayStore app Purge to get rid of out of date apps that do not comply with its Android OS features policy. In particular Android apps, more than two years behind the latest Android OS release will be hidden on the Google Play Store.
But you don’t have to worry about the apps that you might have downloaded and if they are still outdated on the Google Playstore. Outdated apps you’ve previously downloaded will remain visible to you but will stop showing to new users to avoid further downloads.
What is the Outdated PlayStore app Purge by Google?
In a recent announcement about the new policy. Google said that any Android app that has fallen too far behind recent OS releases. Apps that fall more than two years behind the current Android OS will become invisible in Play Store search results. Meaning new users won’t be able to download them.
And according to Krish Vitaldevara, Google’s Director of Product Management. This update will “protect users from installing apps that may not have the latest privacy and security features.”
So this means that the new rule will be enforced starting on November 1. This is when Android 13 will presumably be available on Pixel phones. So app developers must target Android 11 or above. Or else they’ll just vanish from the thin PlayStore air.
And developer who think that they might be struggling to hit this deadline can request a six-month extension. Google also plans to require any new app or update work with either the current or previous OS. So by November 1, they’ll have to target an Android API level of Android 12 or better.