Android just isn’t as secure as iOS, and that’s a fact that Android users have had to deal with. Despite this, Google has been putting a lot of work into changing that, and a possible attribute of Android 14 could help. According to 9To5Google, Android 14 will block installing outdated apps altogether.
Downloading and installing outdated apps poses a major security risk. Think of outdated apps as outdated versions of Android. Obviously, your phone running on Android 6 isn’t receiving all of the latest security patches. This means that it’s not protected against the newest hacking tactics and malware.
This is similar to outdated apps. As time goes on, app developers are directed to make their apps more secure. They have to implement certain protocols and protections that make their apps more secure. However, if an app wasn’t updated since 2017, then that app doesn’t have those protections.
Android 14 won’t install outdated apps
The latest version of Android won’t be available to the public for a while, but the first developer preview will be available soon. As we’re looking closely at what will come, we’re seeing the code change gradually. A new code change was pushed to Android 14 that hints at a stricter app installation policy.
At the moment, you can install some pretty old Android apps on your phone. Google has been pushing companies to update their apps or face having them taken down from the Play Store. However, the Play Store isn’t the only way to install apps. People can still sideload older versions of apps.
With Android 14, it seems that the system won’t install apps that are targeted at older versions of Android. This could include APKs downloaded from third-party sources. Blocking older apps from being installed will, ostensibly, help reduce the spread of malware throughout the Android ecosystem.
At this point, it’s still in the early stages, so we don’t know if there will be any changes between now and when it launches. We’ll keep you updated on this story.