New updates on Android apps can be exciting to install as they normally come with fascinating features that the older versions lack. But sometimes, these app updates can contain bugs or features you don’t like.
This dissatisfaction brings to the fore the question, How do I undo an Android app update? Most phone users typically seek newer versions of their apps, and once these latest editions are released, they earnestly download the app updates on Android.
But soon, they find much to their chagrin that some features of the newly upgraded apps perform worse than their earlier versions. Such issues may be due to bugs in the app updates, incompatibility with your device's operating system, or an oversight by the developer.
Whichever the cause of the problem is, sometimes, the best solution is to uninstall an update. This guide provides easy answers to the question, How do I undo an Android app update?
How Do I Undo an Android App Update — Simple Tips
Here, we’ll discuss how to uninstall updates.
Can I Uninstall an App Update?
The answer is, “Yes,” and “No.” While you can disable new updates for system apps, you can’t do so with third-party apps. You’ll be required to uninstall, download, and install a new version to achieve that aim.
Install a previous version of the mobile app on Oreo (Android 8) and higher. You’ll need to download the APK installer. This mobile app installs APK files on your phone.
Follow these instructions to download and install the app:
- Launch Google Play Store
- Search for the app by typing APK Installer in the top-placed search bar
- Press APK Installer
- Press Install
Download Droid Hardware Info and open it. Before you proceed, search for some crucial hardware specs of your handset to be sure you’re downloading the compatible version of the app in question.
Follow the below steps to download Droid Hardware Info and install it:
- Launch the Google Play Store in your app drawer or tap on the shortcut in the Home screen
- In the search bar, type Droid Hardware Info
- Tap on Install
- When the installation is over, press Open to launch the app
Pay attention to the Android OS version of your smartphone and its DPI (dots per inch). Go to the Device tab of the app you just downloaded and note the DPI in the Software Density section. The DPI is related to a device's screen size. You can jot these specs down on a piece of paper so you don’t forget them.
Head to the System tab on Droid Hardware Info. At the top of Droid Hardware Info, tap on the System tab.
Note the architecture of your phone’s CPU. In this step, pay attention to “CPU Architecture" and "Instruction Sets." You’ll find out if the handset operates with an x86 chipset or an ARM chipset, too, and whether with a 64-bit chipset or a 32-bit chipset.
If either of both options says 64, it’s highly likely it’s the 64-bit type, and if you don’t see anything like 64, it may not be that version. If your Android has 64-bit, it’s compatible with 32-bit apps smoothly without issues once both are of the same type.
However, a 32-bit device won’t operate with 64-bit apps. Nowadays, in modern smartphones running Android OS, arm64 is the most common CPU.
Uninstall the app you intend to downgrade. Before installing the app’s older version, you’ve to uninstall the app completely. Pay attention to the specific version of the app currently on your phone so that you’ll be able to install the previous version of the app.
Here are the steps to disable new updates on installed apps:
- Launch the Settings app
- Tap on Apps Management or Apps & notifications
- Press Show system
- Tap on the app in question > App info
- Press Force Stop > Uninstall
Allow the APK Installer you installed above to install apps from Unknown Sources. Follow the instructions below to achieve this objective:
- Launch the Settings app
- Press App Management or Apps & notification (as the case may be)
- Tap the More icon (the three-dot icon in the top-right)
- Tap on Special Access > Install unknown apps
- Press APK Installer
- Toggle the switch to Allow from this source
Visit the official APK Mirror website. Launch your browser and visit https://www.apkmirror.com, the official APK Mirror website.
Hit the magnifying glass icon and type the name of the app in question. You’ll find this icon in the top-right corner of the site. Tap on it. Note that APK Mirror offers tons of current and earlier versions of several popular mobile apps. But if you can’t see the specific version you’re searching for, do the search in this way:
- Press the Apps tab
- Tap on the app’s title
- Navigate down to All versions (arranged from newest to oldest)
Hit the down-arrow icon. On the right beside the version of the app, you seek to download, tap on the down-arrow icon. This step opens the download page.
Check available APKs. Tap on the variant number of the version compatible with your Android.
Navigate down and press DOWNLOAD APK. At this point, hit the button around the bottom of your screen to download the APK. When the file download is completed, you’ll be notified whether to open the file or open the folder.
It’s more advisable to open the downloaded file in the My Files app. Press OK when notified with a disclaimer that asks whether you wish to download the file type or not.
Open My Files. On most Android phones, My Files is the default file manager app and is located in your app drawer. Tap on its icon to open it.
Open Downloads. In the File Manager app, open the Downloads folder to see all apps downloaded to your phone from the Internet.
Press the APK file of the file to be installed. To identify APK files, you’ll see them ending with “.APK” extension.
Open the APK Installer app and select “Always.” When you open an APK file for the first time, you’ll be asked to choose an app you want to open the file with. Hit the APK Installer app icon and select Always at the bottom of your screen.
Press Install. Tap on Install in the lower-right section of the app installation screen. Once the installation is complete, the app will open. When the app opens for the first time, it’ll request access to various features of your smartphone. Select Allow to give it access to the feature it’s requesting.
By following these guidelines, you’ll be able to find a solution to the question, How do I undo an Android app update?
Wrapping Up
Developers routinely release app updates on Android devices for various reasons — to fix bugs and release new features of the app, among others. However, there are times that such releases miss the mark, and newer editions could even be worse than previous versions of the app.
A pertinent question that pops up in your mind is, How do I undo an Android app update? This post was written to address this inquiry, showing you simple tips on how to uninstall an app update so you can get the previous versions of Android apps back
