All of us might have wondered what would happen if we were to download older versions of apps instead of just getting it from the App Store. Would it bring us benefits by providing access to features that were removed, or will we be inconvenienced with the number of bugs still existent on the app before updates?
For some, the answer may not be clear, but for you, it’s only a matter of whether you want to try it out or not. That is because today, we’re going to talk about how you can get older versions of apps. Since the process would be a bit complicated, let’s start by answer some questions that you may have about the subject.
Can I Download Older Versions of Apps on App Store or Play Store?Preparing to Get Older Versions of AppsHow to Download Older Versions of Apps (3 Ways)Why Download the Older Versions of Apps?Final Words
Can I Download Older Versions of Apps on App Store or Play Store?
If you're running an iOS version earlier than iOS 11 and you've downloaded or purchased the older versions of the app, you may be able to install it. Just go to Purchased/My Purchases on the App Store and install the app. If an older version of the app is available, a prompt will pop up asking "Do you want to download this version now?". Click "Yes" to install the older version of the app on your iOS device.
Otherwise, unfortunately, you can't install older versions of apps if you are on Google Play or Apple Store. In short, you will have to use a third-party source. But before that, you have yet to completely understand how to prepare for the process.
Preparing to Get Older Versions of Apps
Before you try to download older versions of apps, it’s important to understand that there are things you must do first. Here’s a look at those pre-requisites:
- Enable unknown sources
- Disable automatic app updates
- Uninstallation
These three are the conditions you have to meet before downloading older versions of apps. So without further ado, let’s find out how to complete them.
Enable Unknown Sources
Take note that your device does not allow the installation of apps from unknown sources by default. Such unknown sources include browsers, apps, file manager, and many more. Since we’ll be talking about websites, you have to enable this feature, and you can do so by following these steps:
- On your phone, head to the Settings
- From the Settings, go to Security.
- Scroll down until you see an option that says ‘Unknown sources’, which you should then enable.
Disable Automatic App Updates
In addition to enabling installation through unknown sources, you will also have to ensure that after download older versions of apps, it won’t update automatically. Here’s how you can do this:
- On your device, launch the Google Play Store.
- At the left panel of the app, tap on the three horizontal lines or the hamburger icon.
- Select "Settings" from the resulting menu.
- Under the "General" section, locate the option for ‘Auto-update apps’ then tap on it.
- From the resulting popup menu, select Do not auto-update apps.
After doing this, however, you will still get notifications on whether the updates for such apps is available, though you can simply decline them.
Uninstall the Updated App
The last thing you have to do is to uninstall the app in question. This is obviously so that you can install the older version properly without any conflict. Unfortunately, you will lose the app data upon doing so.
If you're using back up the app data on Android by doing this:
- Go to your Settings > Accounts > Google.
- From there, make sure that App Data Sync is enabled.
If you're using an iPhone, back up the data by following the steps:
- Open Settings > Apple ID at the top > iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage> Backup.
- Select your iPhone and tap Show All.
- Open the app whose data you want to back up to iCloud.
Once this is done, you will be able to uninstall the app without worrying about anything. Just press and hold on an app then send it to the trash. In some devices, you have to click on the X icon after pressing and holding on the screen.
How to Download Older Versions of Apps (3 Ways)
Now that you know the three prerequisites to download older versions of apps, here we will learn how to do it using different ways.
Download Older Versions of Apps on APK4Fun
APK4Fun is a fairly popular repository where you can get older versions of apps. Normally, it’s where people get different apps in the form of APK files. It’s similar to Google Play Store and Apple Store, except for the fact that it allows you to download any version of an app, including the latest version and even the older versions.
Not only that, you can also download the APK files without much hassle. Also, you have the option to choose from different versions, and that would be why we chose this website to download older versions of apps.
Here’s how you can access the APK4Fun warehouse and download the versions of whichever app you choose:
- Go to the APK4Fun website.
- Click on the search bar which should be located at the top-right corner of the page.
- Type in the name of the app that you want to download.
- Scroll-down until you see a list of APK files with different indicated dates. This is the Version History of the app. Select the version that you want to download. There should be details about that version in case you want to know about it in detail.
That’s pretty much everything you need to know about APK4Fun. It might not be the best, but it’s still something you should consider.
Get Older Versions of Apps on APKMirror
APKMirror is a bit too similar to APK4Fun. The difference between the two might be since apps from APK4Fun doesn’t have an estimation and most of the versions are published by anonymous experts. To get older version of apps, do the steps:
- First, go to the APKMirror website.
- Go to the search bar then type in the apps name.
- On the app page, you’ll see a SEE AVAILABLE APKS button, which you should then click.
- Now find the version you prefer and download that file.
Install Older Versions of Apps on uptodown
uptodown is a very popular repository for countless apps from different platforms. It can come from platforms such as iOS, Mac, Android, and even lesser-known platforms such as Ubuntu and other web apps.
Unfortunately, as popular as it is, it also houses only popular apps. But searching for an app shouldn’t be a problem. Here’s how you can download older versions of appsthrough the popular platform, uptodown.
- Go to the Uptodown website.
- Click on the search bar at the top-left corner of the platform.
- Here, type in the name of the app you’re looking for.
- Select the app to go to its page.
- On the app page, click on the Versions button which should be found at the bottom of the big green Download
- Select the version that you prefer. This should take you to the download page which will prompt the download process automatically.
Compared to the other two options, this one would be a bit easier since the interface is clean and intuitive.
Why Download the Older Versions of Apps?
Many people want to download older versions of apps, here are the possible reasons:
- Getting back removed features.
- Avoid newly-created bugs.
- Use the Old Interface Design.
- Operating system mismatch.
- Better Customer Support.
- Prevent Countless ads.
Final Words
There isn’t any app that is only available in one version. All apps and even programs have different versions, each having its own strengths and weaknesses. In some cases, the latest versions have undergone the opposite of development and have instead become downgraded.
In the event that this happens to you, you might want to download older versions of apps. It might not be common, but it is still possible. And that is especially true for you now that you know the different websites to download APK files from.
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