How To Restore App Updates On Android

Google Play Store is a treasure island for wonderful and useful apps and we simply can’t get enough of it. You probably already gave your favourites installed and your home screen could be bursting with various tools for productivity and entertainment. Knowing that there is probably an application for almost any task is a comforting thought and we are always excited to explore the newest opportunities.

Another thing we may love about apps is their independence – they know when to update and how to get better with each version. And they do it without our reminders or asking for a single effort on our part. This is all great, but when it comes to updates, you and the app may wind up on different sides.

So if it so happens that you prefer a former version of a recently self-upgraded app – there simply must be a way to keep to the version you like.

First, and this is something to think about in hindsight, it’s a good idea to have an app like AppMonster Pro Backup Restore. This app will have the situation under control by creating a backup before every update – so should a new upgrade be a disappointment, you will always have a file of the current version ready to re-install.

But this is in hindsight. And if you didn’t have this or a similar application installed, you will have to go a different road to get your preferred version of the application.

As you may know, Android uses APK files for its applications and every version of the app in question will have a file with .apk ending. All you have to find out is the number of the version you require. For instance, if you prefer the first version of Angry Birds – all you need is to do a search for the file Angry Birds 1.0 apk. Here, you should make sure that you download the files from a reputable source – as you may know files of this kind, when taken from an unverified source, may be hiding unpleasant malware that will bring more trouble to your smartphone.

Another way to go about it – is to get the file from another device that has the needed app version, like a smartphone or tablet. It is better if the device is rooted – as then you will simply be able to take the APK file you require from the app’s data folder. If your o=the device that hosts the app is not rooted, you can save the needed APK file to the microSD card with the help of an app, like MyBackup Pro.

When you finally get hold of the file, don’t forget to delete the upgraded version from your smartphone before copying the acquired older APK to your device. After the file is on your phone, you can find it through File Explorer, tap on it and kick off the installation process. If, at this point, your phone starts to cause trouble – go to Settings and enable the option “installation from unknown sources” – this should take care of the issue.

Of course, you could always do a factory reset – but this will only restore the initial versions of pre-installed apps on the device, while the ones you have later installed yourself will simply disappear – and you will have to download them all the way fro scratch – and still the latest available versions of them.

All this said, do take the time to give the upgraded version a try. Most developers upgrade their applications for good reasons and you will be able to benefit from a better performance, increased security and a nicer interface.

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