Apps designed for the Android 4.1 or lower could be blocked from running on Android P.
Google recently released the new Developer Preview for Android P. With the upcoming OS, the company is bringing a host of new features and as per a report by Android Police, it could also prevent apps which are built for Android 4.1 or lower. This restriction is said to address performance and security issues which come with installing old apps on new Android versions and for purging Google’s Play Store of apps which have not been updated for years, probably since they were first released.
This is being seen as Google’s effort of streamlining the targeted API levels amongst apps. The company has already made it clear that an app will be blocked if it doesn’t target a recent API level. API levels are basically the representation of an Android version using an integer number, which is incremented with the release of each new version of Android. In Android P, the minimum API level for apps is set for v17, which is equivalent to Android 4.2.
As per the report, the developer documentation for Android P states, "Applications targeting lower values will fail to install and run." Also, a warning is displayed while trying to boot an old app on the first Android P Developer Preview and It’s not known whether these apps will be completely blocked in the final Android P release.
The Developer preview of Android P can only be downloaded on Pixel and Pixel 2 smartphones. It comes with native support for notch displays. There are noticeable visual changes in the Quick settings panels where notifications now feature rounded corners. You can read a quick rundown on the features which have been discovered in the new Android version till now here.
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