Recently, Google announced that all existing apps in the store should aim to target an API level within two years of the latest major Android OS release. If otherwise, Google will soon move to place limits on which users are able to discover or install those applications.
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This new development will be enforced in order to ensure that applications available on the Play Store use Android’s latest privacy and security features. Device owners “expect to realize the full potential of all the privacy and security protections Android has to offer.
Krish Vitaldevara, the Google product management wrote in a blog post;
In addition to the Google Play features and policies that are central to providing a safe experience for users, each Android OS update brings privacy, security, and user experience improvements. To ensure users realize the full benefits of these advances—and to maintain the trusted experience people expect on Google Play—we collaborate with developers to ensure their apps work seamlessly on newer Android versions.
We currently require new apps and app updates to target an Android API level within one year of the latest major Android OS version release. New apps and app updates that don’t meet this requirement cannot be published on Google Pla
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Today, as part of Google Play’s latest policy updates, we are taking additional steps to protect users from installing apps that may not have the latest privacy and security features by expanding our target level API requirements.
Starting on November 1, 2022, existing apps that don’t target an API level within two years of the latest major Android release version will not be available for discovery or installation for new users with devices running Android OS versions higher than apps’ target API level. As new Android OS versions launch in the future, the requirement window will adjust accordingly.
It is also important for developers to know that they can only apply for a six-month extension if their software won’t be ready in time for the November 1st, 2022 timeframe.
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