Android apps old version

How to install old versions of Android apps on your smartphone

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As the most popular mobile operating system in the world, Google’s Android comes with a whole gamut of powerful features. However, probably the most important aspect of Android’s popularity is apps. There are millions of apps available on Google Play Store, including everything from productivity solutions to action-packed games.

Now, all the apps you have on your Android smartphone are normally updated to their latest version(s) automatically, provided there is network connectivity and updates are available on the Google Play Store. This ensures that you always have access to the newest features that are added to the apps by developers over time.

While that’s perfectly alright, there are times when a certain app update, instead of making things better, actually takes away/breaks a feature that you use on a near-daily basis. This makes you want to revert to the previous version of the app, in which the feature(s) worked as intended.

Thankfully, it’s indeed possible to do so. It’s not exactly a straightforward solution, but you actually can install old versions of Android apps on your smartphone. Here’s how you can go about doing the same:

Disclaimer: Even though you can go back to old versions of apps on your Android smartphone, we don’t recommend doing that, unless it’s absolutely needed. That’s because the latest app updates don’t just bring new features, they come with the most recent security patches as well, essential to keep your device (and the data on it) safe.

Installing old versions of Android apps involves downloading the APK file of an app’s older version from an external source and then sideloading it to the device for installation.

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How to Install Old Versions of Android Apps

Every year, a new version of Android arrives, with a lot of improvements and additional features. To take advantage of those improvements, developers keep updating their apps every now and then. They also keep adding new features to their apps to make sure their apps remain viable. However, updates don’t necessarily make an app better. Well, here’s why:

• Developers have to cease support for older versions of Android in order to accommodate some change in the code.

• Devices with older hardware find it difficult to adapt to the changes made for the current gen hardware.

• UI changes sometimes make the updated version cumbersome to use.

• Some beneficial features from the previous versions get omitted.

Thus, people often want to rollback to the previous version of the app or look for older versions, that are more suited for their device. We know that the Google Play Store doesn’t let you rollback an app to its previous versions. However, there are a number of third-party sources that offer older versions of Android apps for download. Here are some of the online repositories that let you download old versions of Android apps:

1. APKMirror

If you want to get the latest APK files of the most popular apps or hunt down its oldest available version, APKMirror is the place to go. The site provides APK files for the majority of apps from the Play Store. You can get the versions of an app released 2 years ago, from its repository. Unfortunately, you can’t get extremely older versions of that app, as they might not be compatible with the current set of codes on the app’s servers.

Getting the desired version of the APK is easy. You have to search for the app on the site’s search bar and scroll down to check out for all the older versions listed that can work with the current changes.

Then, just hit the link to your desired version to download it and install it on your Android device.

2. uptodown

uptodown is a repository for apps from all the major platforms. You can get old versions of your favorite apps from platforms like Android, iOS, Ubuntu, Mac and web apps. Like APKMirror, you can get the older versions of your desired app that are supported by the developer’s servers. However, unlike APKMirror, the variety of apps are limited, with only the well-known ones taking the stage.

To download an app’s older version, you will have to search for the app in the site’s search bar and tap on the “Versions” button to see a listing of all the previous version APKs. Then, you can just download the version of the app you want and install it.

3. APK4Fun

APK4Fun is another well-known repository for getting older versions of Android apps. Generally known for providing safe and secure APKs for side-loading them to your Android phone, the site provides a number of previous version APKs of popular apps.

Downloading them is easy too, you have to search for your desired app and you will find older versions of it listed below the download button. The website provides a lot of details around the version of the apps and you are given a choice of additional mirror links to download your preferred version of the app.

Note : These online app repositories let you download APK files of the older version of an app. To install APK files, you’ll have to enable the “Unknown Sources” option in Android Settings->Security.

Also, you’ll have to disable “Auto updates” from Play Store to make sure the apps don’t get updated to the latest version automatically. You can do so by going to Play Store Settings->Auto-update apps and tap on “Do not auto-update apps”.

Get Older Versions of Apps easily on Android

The online repositories of the apps we have mentioned above are safe and secure. There are many other sites that host old APK files but not all of them are safe. Some sites offer APK files with malware, so make sure you download APKs from the aforementioned websites online.

So, if an app update has removed your favorite feature or it’s just not working well enough on your device, just install the older version and you should be good. If you know of any other websites that are equally good as the ones mentioned here, do write it down in the comments section below.

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How to Install Older Version of Android Apps

If you check the app reviews before downloading an application from Google Play Store, then you must have seen someone saying «the app was great, but the latest update broke it». Yes, updates to Android apps is not always a good news for some people.

If you are not happy with the update to your favorite app, then you can easily revert back to the old version without much hassle. In this post, I will show you how you can download and install old version of Android apps.

Why app updates can be bad?

Many problems can arise when apps get updated to a newer version, below are some of the issues you may face:

• The new update may have many bugs that you may not be comfortable with.
• Developers tend to keep their apps updated with the latest version of Android. So if you have an old Android version, the new interface and features compatible with new Android version may break the app.
• Your device hardware may not be compatible with the updated version of the app.
• You may not like the newly added features or the interface overhaul.
• Your favorite feature may get removed for any reason.
• The updated version may get filled with ads. ES File Explorer is a good example.

If you are dealing with any of the issues above, then rolling back to an old version will definitely fix things.

How to install old Android app versions

Unfortunately, Google Play Store doesn’t offer any button to easily revert back to an older version of the app. It only allows developers to host a single version of their app, so only the most updated version can be found on the Google Play Store.

On top of this, Google automatically ensures all the apps in your Android phone stay up-to-date. So you can expect your apps to be automatically updated to latest version even if you didn’t like the update.

If you want to use an older version of an Android app, then you must download or sideload it from another authentic source. Let’s see how you can do it.

Configure phone settings

Before you get the old version of your favorite Android app, you must configure your phone to install third-party apps and ensure they don’t get updated again. Here is what you need to do:

Enable unknown sources

You need to enable Unknown Sources option in your phone settings that will allow you to download and install apps from any source.

• Go to your phone’s Settings and tap on Security.
• Here scroll down and tap on the toggle button next to Unknown Sources to enable it.

Disable automatic app updates in Google Play Store

To ensure your apps don’t get automatically updated to the latest version, you need to disable automatic updates in Google Play Store.

• In Google Play Store, tap on the hamburger menu at the top-left corner of the screen and select Settings from it.
• Now tap on auto-update apps option and select «Do not auto-update apps».

Now your apps will not be auto-updated when new updates will arrive. Instead, you will be prompted to allow the app to be updated whenever a new update is released. You need to decline updates for apps that you don’t want to update.

Uninstall the updated app

To install an older version of the app, you need to uninstall the updated version. Unfortunately, with this action, all your app data will also be deleted. So before deleting, make sure your data is backed up in the cloud.

Most apps automatically backup and restore data from the cloud, but you can also use Google’s backup service to ensure your data gets backed up. Go to Settings >Accounts> Google, and here make sure App Data sync is enabled.

If your app data is backed up, then uninstall the app like you normally do.

Download and install app APK file

You need to download your required app’s old version APK file (installer file) from an authentic source. For this purpose, APKMirror is a great website that has huge data on apps and their old versions and known to have malware free APK files.

I will be using this for demonstration purposes. If you are unable to find your app’s APK file on APK Mirror, then you can also use other authentic websites I have mentioned at the end.

Warning: Try to only download APKs from the authentic sources I have mentioned in this article. There is a high chance you may get a malware infected APK file if you will download from a shady source.

Go to APKMirror website and enter the name of the app you are looking for in the search field on top. You should see the latest version of your app as the top result.

Tap on the app and you will see more details about the app. Here scroll down and you will see an All versions section below. This section lists all of the available versions of the app along with version number and the date it was released.

Look for the version you need and tap on the Download button next to it. On the next page, tap on Download APK and it will be downloaded.

Similar apps like APKMirror:

Here are some other websites you can search to get your APK file.

Note: You can also use your PC to download the APK file, but you will have to move the APK file to your phone memory by connecting your phone to your PC using a USB cable.

If you used your phone to download the app, then the APK file should be placed in the Downloads folder. Installation is really easy, just tap on the APK file you downloaded and then tap on Next button below to grant the required app permissions. After that, tap on Install to install the app in your phone.

Backup APKs in future

If you frequently depend on old versions of apps or don’t want to depend on a third-party website for storing APK files of your favorite apps, then you can also create a backup of APKs yourself. You can use an app to backup the current version of your apps to the SD Storage.

The backup will be saved as APK file and you can install it again any time you like if a newer update breaks the app. For this purpose, App Backup Restore is a great free app that lets you backup APK files of individual or all apps in your phone and easily restore them.

Final thoughts

Sometimes older versions of apps can be better than the new versions. Especially when developers try to attract users with awesome features and then use shady schemes to make money. Did your favorite app break after the update? Do share your experience in the comments below.

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How to downgrade to older version of apps on Android

Updates to apps are usually a good thing, but there are times when this is not the case. The latest version of your favorite app might remove a feature you’ve grown attached to, or it could lead to a drop in performance. AppDowner helps to roll back a version if you decide the older version of an app was better – you just need to be rooted. Find out how to downgrade Android apps to an earlier version here.

While it’s easy to upgrade the apps on a Nexus 5, a Galaxy S4, or any other Android device, it’s usually a one-way process. As standard, you only really have two options when you discover that an upgrade is not to your liking – uninstall the app completely, or learn to put up with it. But AppDowner gives you the option of reverting to a previous version so you can banish an upgrade you don’t like.

Upgrading apps is simple, but Android doesn’t make it easy to downgrade. © ANDROIDPIT

You can download a copy of AppDowner from XDA Developers free of charge – but bear in mind you’ll need to root your device in order to install it.

You will have to do a little bit of work yourself. When you upgrade an app, Android does not automatically retain a copy of the old version of the APK. We’ve previously looked at how you can create backups of your apps, and this is one way to ensure you have the option to downgrade. But there is another route you can go down.

If you haven’t saved a backup of old APKs, you should be able to download it from a repository. © ANDROIDPIT

While you can only download the most recent version of app from Google Play, there are other app repositories that hold onto older versions as well. Among such websites are XeeApk.com and F-Droid. There are many other to choose from, but you should take care when downloading apps from unknown websites.

AppDowner is free of charge but your handset needs to be rooted in order to use it. © ANDROIDPIT

Installing the older version of the app is very simple. Launch AppDowner and tap the Select APK button. Use your preferred file browser to select the APK for the app you want to download, and then tap the Normal Android Way option. Should this method fail for any reason, you can repeat the process but select the File Way option instead.

There are two method for downgrading an app so you another option if the first fails. © ANDROIDPIT

Hit the Install APK button and the old app will be installed for you, and all of your data will be retained.

Have you tried out AppDowner or do you know of another method for rolling back to an older version?

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