New apps updated in Google Play will have to support Android Pie by 2019.

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In 2017, Google undertook to improve Android applications by requiring them to target a certain level of API and take advantage of the new features of the platform. With new apps and updated apps all targeting Android 8.0 starting in November, Google details the support requirements for Pie set for later this year.

As of August, new apps submitted to the Play Store must target APIs 28 and above. By November, updates to existing applications will also need to support Android 9. The rolling annual mandate was set when Google launched this initiative for the first time. Existing store applications that do not receive updates are not affected.

Google notes that the application of this rule has resulted in 'Android users now benefit[ing] More apps than ever before using modern APIs. In 2018, more than 150,000 apps added support for the permissions and other features introduced with Oreo.

In addition to Google Play, Chinese application stores such as Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent require developers to target at least the 26th level of the target API.

We expect that many others introduce similar requirements – an important step to improve the security of the ecosystem of applications.

However, Google is taking other steps to protect Android, especially when users install by side loading. The company notes that more than 95% of spyware detected outside the Play Store target API level 22 or lower to avoid execute permissions.

To protect users against malware and support this ecosystem-based initiative, Google Play Protect warns users when they attempt to install APKs from any source that does not target a recent API level. :

  • August 2019: New applications will receive warnings during installation if they do not target the API level 26 or higher.
  • November 2019: New versions of existing applications will receive warnings during installation if they do not target the API level 26 or higher.
  • From 2020: The target level target of the API will advance each year.

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