Found in now proprietary code, it looks like Android 14 will not work well with legacy applications. In what is being reported as a plan to combat malware that targets legacy Android apps, Google may set very strict app installation requirements starting with Android 14.

While this makes sense, it is big news in our eyes because this change could also affect very characteristic Android is all about the ability to install any app you want via sideloading. According to the code, Android 14 can block the installation of any application, whether from Google Play or downloaded from other sources, if it does not meet the requirements of the API.

The method of installing applications now works relatively freely. For example, even if an app is out of date, but the user has already installed it before, it is still available on Google Play if it has not been pulled from Google’s servers. The same goes for side loading. Right now, you won’t have a problem downloading just about any app you want, but with this change, and if your device is running Android 14, it looks like the app will need to target Android 6.0+ (Marshmallow) at the very least. . The code apparently made it clear that Google would also be able to tighten the restrictions at any given time.

As for me, I don’t download or download random apps anymore. Those days are long gone. However, I know there are still many people who do this and with that said, I would ask you to remain vigilant and make sure to only download and install apps from trusted sources.

// 9to5Google