Use Older Versions of Android Apps Without Updating

Many times you may have faced the problem of an app asking for a mandatory update to run. But you may not wish to update the app, thinking to lose some of the app experience or features. The apps like WhatsApp, Netflix, Hike, WeChat, COC, etc, ask for a force update to run. This basically happens because the app makes some changes which have an effect on all.

For example, if WhatsApp has an update for some emoji smiles, then the one who hasn’t updated the app will not be shown the emojis. This causing a communication problem, this is why some apps ask you to make mandatory updates.

You can skip these updates and use older versions of Android Apps without any compulsion, just using a simple trick which actually is a form of a setting change. No root permissions are required.

Note – You can try APKMirror.com to download an older version of the App on your devicee but after installation, if the App forces you to update to the latest version from Play Store, then go for the method below.

Steps to Run Older Apps Without Update

Step 1: Download and install the older version of the App on your Device.

Step 2: Download the APK Editor app from Google Play Store.

Step 3: Open Google Play Store and search for the app. Click on Read more and scroll down to check App version.

Example: App version in Play Store

Step 4: Now open APK Editor App and click on ”Select APK from APP”.

APK Editor App

Step 5: Now look for the app and click on “common edit”.

Step 6: Here change the Version name with the latest one you noticed in Google Play Store.

Step 7: Apply the changes in APK Editor App.

Step 8: Uninstall the pre-installed App and install the modified App from APK Editor. Holla! You have just nailed it.

What if the App Version says “Varies with the device”?

Version Varies with Device

• First, download the latest version of your preferred App.
• Go to Android Settings and look for the option Apps/App Manager.
• Check for the App, open it and look for App version.
• Note the App version and proceed forward with the steps above.

Once done you can use an older version of the App on your Android Smartphone without any update and enjoy the App experience and features. I have also provided a video demo of the same.

Conclusion: With the method above you can download and install an older version of the App on Android without force updates. The method may not work on all the Apps which need real-time internet access but still, you can give it a try.

I hope the post was helpful. Do comment below for any of the assistance or queries. Have a nice day Cheers!