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Comment by izacus | Hacker News Reader

This is exactly how Android works. But because API changes bring privacy and security improvements, scummy software used old compilation targets to abuse backwards compatibility to avoid complying with privacy and security practices.

This is why Play slowly enforces apps to raise their compilation target and implement safer APIs. It's lagging for YEARS after API changes, so there's plenty of time to fix apps.

The OP just decided to be lazy and wait for last two weeks.

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I'm the OP and wanted to clarify in case you missed some points - it is a legacy application which does not have any active dev teams on it and needs only developers attention when Google says so and as mentioned by multiple other commenters here the first time I got that e-mail from Google, was at 18th of August. I would not agree that I have been lazy, but instead trying to solve this problem in the time-constraints set by Google and failing to do so because of the inability to put a fix to production and/or pull back current release version. Of course I admit that there's always ways to improve quality assurance.

There has been zero communication towards me from Google until two weeks until deadline. Yes, maybe if I would have logged into Play Console then there might have been some notifications, but there have been no reason to do so until that e-mail (I'm usually not involved with Android projects, otherwise I might have noticed similar warnings via other projects early on).

My mailbox shows Play comms warning about these changes in July, April and October 2022. And that's just a glance.

This deadline had been sent around last year. I am not sure if you’re bullshitting your way out of this or something.

He clearly states in other comments that he wasn't involved a year ago.

But nice of you to assume he's lying. /s

Writing that blog post took too much longer than researching it online. Which if you Google it right now it is around 3rd or 4th search result.

Yes and no. These notices started last year, but back then targeted lower API levels, which is why OP might not have seen them until now.

But it's true that the first notice was sent months before the time limit, so he might have missed previous warnings.

Double-checked - no e-mails prior 18th of August from "Google Play Console". Also, double-checked "Google Play Console" (even under "Archived messages") - first message about deprecation I see is from 17th of August (a day before e-mail). Even if there were something a year ago, then 3 month, 1 month followup would make sense instead of 2-3 week reminder.

Maybe it's possible that different roles in "Google Play Console" will receive different type of messages at different time? I'm not an admin for that app and it's possible that someone else has gotten prior warnings, but might have ignored these, because usually they are not with technical background.

> But because API changes bring privacy and security improvements, scummy software used old compilation targets to abuse backwards compatibility to avoid complying with privacy and security practices.

Though unfortunately from time to time they also do break power user use cases…

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