Android 14 may prevent older apps from installing. This protection only applies to side loading.
The next major version of Android may prevent you from installing very old apps under certain circumstances. 9to5Google has discovered a code indicating that Android 14 will not allow users to install apps that are not designed for the minimum version of the operating system through sideloading, i.e. outside the Play Store. This will prevent very old apps from installing at first, but Google would like to “gradually”increase until at least Android 6.0 Marshmallow is required.
Android 14 may prevent old apps from being installed
This initiative is aimed, as you already understood, to improve security and privacy. According to Google, malware makers cannot simply target older versions of Android to circumvent the security measures introduced in newer versions. Mountain View requires apps targeting at least Android 12 to be on the Play Store. This update applies to attempts to install via the Internet or any other alternative store.
This measure will not completely prevent you from running the application if you really want to. Indeed, the manufacturer of the device must activate this protection, and there will always be a way to install said application via the command line. This new rule aims to prevent users from unintentionally installing malware. If you’re downloading an older app on an Android 14 smartphone that has this protection enabled, chances are you know what you’re doing.
This protection only applies to side loading.
However, it is clear that Google also wants to limit sideloading with this new feature. For some, this is an important reason for buying an Android smartphone rather than an iPhone: you can freely install applications that are not available in the official store. That being said, it’s no surprise that Google wants to close the door a bit. Malware creators often use sideloading precisely because it has fewer restrictions than the Play Store. Blocking old apps won’t stop malware, of course, but it can improve the overall security of the platform.