Google has recently been making quite a few tweaks in how the Play Store is presented to users, the main one being the company now specifies what version of Android OS is required to install an app on the Play Store.
Newer versions of Android OS add on functionalities that the previous ones had. Therefore, if you are running an older version of the operating system, and an app developer has come up with an app that takes advantage of functionality that your Android OS version does not support. You will either need to upgrade to an Android version that supports the app or do without it.
By default, the Play Store will already only show you apps that can run on your device. So if your phone has Android 7.0 installed, and an app that only runs on Android 9.0 and above is available on the Play Store. This particular application will not be visible to you. Despite this, it is still beneficial to know the range of Android OSes that can be supported by a particular application.
When uploading a particular app on the Play Store, the minimum Android version and target Android version needs to be stated. As indicated by the name, the minimum Android version refers to the oldest version of the OS that the app can run on, while the targeted Android version refers to the intended version that the app was built for. This, in theory, should be the Android OS that the app best runs on. With the recent update, the Play Store will now display the minimum Android version for each app.
For those who use the web version of the Play Store, you would have already noted that this version has always been available on that platform, and it is only just now that it is making its way to the Play Store app.
To see this minimum version of Android OS that is required on the Play Store app;
- Open any app listing in the Play Store
- Click on ‘About this app’
- Scroll to the bottom
- ‘Android OS’ will be visible under the ‘App Info’
Another tweak that Google has made recently is the introduction of a progress circle around apps when downloading them, for users to quickly check the status of their downloads.
This feature has long been available to iOS users, and it is only now that Google is introducing it to its users. But rather than being available to all Android OS versions, the feature will only be available to devices running Android 11 or higher.
9to5Google reports that after tapping the green “Install” button in the Play Store, you’ll notice that a black-and-white version of that requested app will appear on your next open home screen with a progress ring and “Downloading…” label
This feature however only works for new app installs, with updates not being presented similarly. Since the Play Store can only download one app at a time, the next apps that are queued for download will appear on the home screen but have “pending” indicated on them. You can also rearrange the icons to your heart’s liking the moment they appear.
