Google has publicized a major Play Store update that will benefit millions of Android users globally. Here is everything you need to know about this update.

Google Play Store has announced several changes that will affect you as an Android user. Remember that Android is one of the leading and most used software globally, with over 2 billion devices running on this mobile operating system. Android enthusiasts who want to download the greatest and newest applications need to do so via Google Play Store.

 Well, any change undertaken on Google Play Store has a huge impact on the Android platform as a whole. As a matter of fact, the current updates to the Google Play Store could necessitate the Android users running older versions of the OS, like Oreo and Pie, to upgrade. Generally, Google has shifted the API level need for upgrades on Play Store.

After requiring new Google Play Store applications to at least target Android 10, Google now requires all developers to target Android 10 or higher when developing patches to the existing applications. What this means is that the applications that weren’t focused on Android 10 will from now be geared towards taking advantage of Android 10’s enhanced security measures.

According to Google, all the new Android versions come with changes that offer substantial security and performance enhancements. In addition, the upgrade improves the overall user experience. However, it’s worth noting that some of these changes only apply to the applications that clearly declare support.

Well, designing an application to adhere to the latest API level makes sure that the users can benefit from these enhancements while still making it possible to run on the previous Android versions. Utilizing the latest API level lets your application take advantage of Google’s newest features to please your users.

Additionally, if you’re using Android 10 and try to start an application that targets Android 5.1 or lower for the first time, you’ll see a warning.

The Google Play Store upgrade means new applications and upgrades to the existing apps will run smoothly on Android 10 or newer. Well, this could potentially force the users operating older versions of the operating system to upgrade.

Generally, there’re several reasons to believe that some Android users need to be convinced to upgrade to newer versions of the Google operating system. Currently, Android 10 has the lion's share when it comes to Android OS usage since more than 25 % of devices are running on this software. Nevertheless, the number of combined devices running on Android 8.1 and Android 9 surpasses this.

Statistics show that 17.73 % of devices run on Android 9, while 10.87 % of devices run on Android 8.1. Other popular Android versions include 8.0, 7.1, 7.0, 6.0, 5.1 and 4.0. As you can see from the above statistics, the earlier Android versions still command a huge fan base, regardless of the whistles and bells to upgrade to the new versions.

Certainly, the current Google Play Store upgrade could give the users running on Android Nougat, Oreo, Pie and other versions a good reason to upgrade. In fact, within a short period, it will become irresistible to upgrade.

 Generally, compared to the previous versions, the new Play Store isn’t that much different. Nonetheless, there’re a couple of valuable improvements that were included. The small errors that beset the earlier version are no longer an issue as Google fixed them in the latest release. With the new release, Play Store is user-friendly, more stable and less likely to crash.

So, it’s still a good idea to be well-informed about these updates, although there are minor significant changes to the platform. With this awareness, you will have the power to plan and prepare for all future upgrades to continue developing your application and achieving the desired results.

Yes, there is no shortcut to these upgrades. It is worth keeping in mind that Google Play Store upgrades are part and parcel for application developers. Therefore, with the right plan at your disposal, your application will continue to flourish in the middle of any changes that Google plans to undertake.