Google Play Store Now Shows The Android OS Version Required To Run An App

Last Updated on February 18, 2022 by Anu Joy

Lately, Google has been making a lot of modifications to its Google Play Store app. The company just released a new update that allows customers to check the status of a new app installation on their home screen. Google is currently rolling out a small but important update that informs users of the minimum Android version required to install an app from the Play Store. Let’s take a closer look at the new update and the changes it brings onboard.

Google Play Store Gets A New Update, Here’s What’s Changed

First spotted by 9to5Google, Google’s Play Store version 29.2.13 now displays an additional new sub-heading under the About this app page termed Android OS which indicates the minimum supported Android version.

The minimum OS tag has long been listed in the “Additional Information” part of an app’s page on the web version of the Play Store, however, this isn’t useful for apps that split their distribution based on detected OS versions. Such apps have their requirement as “Varies with device” in Google’s terminology. For instance, an app may branch with a minimum version of Android 6 Marshmallow, while another device may display a minimum of 10.

The functionality has been accessible since the beginning of this month and is now extensively available in Google Play Store version 29.2.13. While the Google Play Store updates automatically by default, interested users may force it to do so by navigating to Profile icon > Settings > About and choosing the button for Update Play Store. Users may also manually download the APK from a trustworthy source (such as APKMirror) and install it.

That said, what are your thoughts on this tiny new label? Do let us know by dropping a comment down below.