How to go back to a previous version of an application on android

If you are a user of an Android phone, you will already know that, practically every day, we have new application updates installed. These notifications that you have new versions can be very annoying, but remember that they are essential so that your terminal remains secure and your privacy is kept safe. Updates are therefore something that all users of a phone with an Android operating system are used to dealing with.

It may be, however, that we do not want a specific update, either because it gives bugs or they have disabled a function that we used a lot. In that case, we should be able to uninstall the application and install whatever version we want. It may be the case that the application we want to uninstall is from the system. So what do we do in this situation? Well, do not uninstall it, but disable it and, later, install the version you want.

If you're a bit busy, calm down. We are going to offer you all the possible alternatives that can be offered to you if you want to go back to a previous version of the application that you have installed on your phone, either from the system or that you have installed.

I want to install an older version of a third-party application

We understand a third-party application as that utility that is installed on the phone after it is turned on. All the applications that we find pre-installed on our mobile are system applications, except those that the brand has installed for promotional purposes. They are very easy to identify: if in the settings menu, in applications, within it you find the uninstall button, it is that it is third-party and you can easily get rid of it by pressing said button.

Once you have successfully removed the application, we have to go to a reliable repository that contains all the versions of the application that we want to install. One of the most used by those looking for application installation files is called APK Mirror and its operation is very simple. You just have to look for the application you want in your search engine and in 'all releases' you will find the APKs of the previous versions. You just have to download it on your mobile and then install it.

If you're wondering where to find the APK file you just downloaded, here's a hint: go into your phone's file explorer and look in the 'Download' folder. Click on the APK file and it will install automatically without you having to do anything else. If the application tells you that it cannot be installed, it will be because it is incompatible with your mobile or because you have not uninstalled the application correctly.

I want to install an older version of a system application

In the event that we want to install a previous version of an application that came pre-installed on the mobile, for example, an earlier version from YouTube or Google Maps, things get a bit complicated… but not too much. Now, you will not be able to uninstall the application but you will have to 'disable it'. If you disable it, what happens is that all later versions that were installed after you turned on your phone for the first time are uninstalled from your terminal. For example, imagine that you have YouTube 5.0 and you want YouTube 3.0, because you will have to 'disable' YouTube so that it returns to version 3.0 and then, on top, install version 4.0.

By the way, in some terminals, the 'disable' button is renamed ' Uninstall updates '. The procedures in both are the same. The installation files for the system applications can also be found in the APK Mirror store. The procedure is not dangerous but as your expert we are not responsible for any disorder that your terminal presents.