Android Q might allow you to install previous version of the app with a tap

While the world waits for the next installment of Android (currently called Android 10 Q) with bated breath, XDA-Developers gained access to an early version of the build and has been poking around in Q’s framework, looking for clues of what can be expected from Android’s latest offering, expected to be released sometime in 2019. And they have found plenty, both big and small.

Primary amongst these are features such as system-wide Dark Mode, greater protection for Media Files, ability to block an app’s access to the Background Clipboard, support for installing previous versions of an app, amongst others.

It is quite common for users to prefer previous versions of an app to the version that comes with the latest update. And the reason is also very apparent: a lot of the patchwork done and the introduction of additional features has an unforeseen debilitating effect on otherwise smooth-functioning, already present and far more utilitarian features of the app.

But the problem is that once you’ve upgraded the app, there is no going back. Thousands of users have been complaining about this over the last few years and Google has finally decided to take remedial action, or so it seems.

To this end, XDA Developers found multiple commands and permissions that seem to indicate that Android 10 Q will allow a disliked update to be rolled back. Firstly, two permissions – “PACKAGE_ROLLBACK_AGENT” and “MANAGE_ROLLBACKS”- seemed to indicate that Google Play Store or any other app store for that matter, along with the factory-version of an app can manage updates of the concerned app.

On the other hand, “PACKAGE_ENABLE_ROLLBACK” and “PACKAGE_ROLLBACK EXECUTED” seem to send a signal to the app that it has been downgraded, and a flag (namely, “–enable-rollback”) seems to be the switch used to roll back the update.

The XDA post has a more detailed view of all these Android Q features that you can check out via this post. Meanwhile, you can also check out our own coverage of Android Q via the link below.

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