Google is going to hide old apps in the Play Store: this is what will happen

A change will be made in the Google Play Store. Applications that have not been updated for a long time will no longer show up in search results. The measure should further improve security on the Android operating system, according to Google.

Changes to Google Play Store

Google is going to make a change that could have far-reaching consequences. Applications that have not been updated for a long time will be hidden in the Android Play Store. This would be a change that will be introduced from November 1, 2022. Apps and games that have not been updated for two years will be hidden from a search.

In this way, Google wants to protect users better. Older apps often don’t support new security requirements. Applications must target Android 11 or a newer version from the date mentioned. Google wants developers to be a maximum of one Android version behind with new applications. This means that when Android 13 is officially released, the apps should target Android 12 or newer.

In principle, it is not necessary for developers to add all kinds of new features, when the API level has been increased to the new version, this should in principle already be sufficient. However, according to reports, it is not just possible for every app to increase the API level. Apps hidden in the searches will not be removed from the Google Play Store.