Android Marshmallow apps will be toasted unless their developers take action.
The next major version of Android OS is coming out this year and its arrival spells “danger” to a legacy Android version. Don’t fret because if you bought your phone in the last few years, you should be good.
The arrival of Android 15 is a concern for many apps still running on older Android versions, particularly on Android 6. This means Android 15 will be toasting marshmallows when it debuts on the Google Pixel 9 series.
Android 15 Toasting Marshmallows
This isn’t the first time Android OS will be axing one of its many past lives. When Android 14 came out, it melted Android Lollipop, the fifth major version.
While Android 15 will bless phones with upgrades and new features, some may have trouble with apps that are stuck on Android Marshmallow. As of writing, apps on this legacy version will no longer be installed via Play Store.
It also means that the minimum system requirements for apps is going up to Android Nougat, the seventh major version.
Is There a Workaround?
Technically, you can still install legacy apps on whatever Android version your smartphone is on right now. Such apps will prime the APK installation process if their installers are executed via sideloading.
Sideloading means you’ll download the APK file of an app, then manually execute it inside the File Manager. A setting will warn you of concerns and ask if you want to proceed.
Developers can keep their apps relevant on the Play Store by just updating them to the minimum requirements, Android Nougat in this case.
What’s Android Marshmallow?
Android 6.0 Marshmallow officially rolled out on September 29, 2015, and succeeded Android 5.0 Lollipop. It introduced game changers, many of which served as the framework of numerous Android devices, including:
- USB-C: Most smartphones, even budget models, are using USB-C to charge up and transfer data.
- Fingerprint Reader: Now, the majority of smartphones, including affordable ones, have at least a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
- Permissions: Marshmallow pioneered the permission to access phone functions.
- Doze: Marshmallow introduced a breakthrough in power management. Doze mode limits background apps to conserve battery. It still exists on Android 14 but implemented differently to minimize the drawbacks.
Based on what’s observed, apps already installed regardless of which Android versions they were written before should remain functional. But if removed from the device, they won’t appear on the Play Store.
Even if you find them via links, you can’t install them again and you will only see a notice that those apps are for an older Android version. Thus, contact the developers so they can update them asap.
Android 15 is expected to roll out in the third quarter of this year, debuting first on the Google Pixel 9 series.
