Over the past few years, Google has ditched the approach where every new Android version had to change the visuals significantly. Take Android 12 and 13, for example, both are similar, with most of the changes being under the hood, and that is precisely how most people intend it to be. However, it is now time to look forward to Android 14 as it is on the horizon, and we are all for it.
With Android 14, users will no longer be able to install or sideload older apps
With Android 14, Google will most likely make it difficult for older apps to run on the newer operating systems. 9to5Google found some code changes and based on those changes, the upcoming OS will start blocking apps that are targeted to run on older Android versions.
This should not come as a surprise because Google has made a habit of asking app developers to ensure that their apps are developed with the latest Android operating systems in mind. Not just that, even the Google Play Store guidelines require all new apps to at least target Android 12. However, these guidelines only apply to the apps on the Google Play Store, as you can still go ahead and sideload them without any issues.
This will change with Android 14 because Google wants to ensure that malware spread is as low as possible and to make this happen, the company will start blocking apps targeting older versions of Android. The threshold will be set to Android Marshmallow, but it will keep increasing.
Last but not least, with Android 14, Google will practice stricter rules and even block the sideloading of older apps. This is a step in the right direction, as malware-ridden apps will no longer benefit from the lack of security on older Android versions.
