3 Easy Ways to Uninstall App Updates on Android

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Learn how to uninstall unwanted app updates on your Android
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Did you install an update to an app on your Android and discover that you want to roll back the app to a previous version? Only certain phones and certain apps will allow you to uninstall an app's updates—most phones and apps will not have this option. If you don't have this option and you want to install an older version of an app, you will have to install the older version manually by uninstalling the older version from a third-party source. Google does not recommend installing apps from third-party sources as they can contain malware or harm your phone. This wikiHow article teaches you how to uninstall an app and install an unofficial older version of the app on your Android phone.

Uninstalling App Updates on Android

  1. Open “Settings” and click “Apps” to display your downloaded and system apps.
  2. Tap the dropdown menu in the top right corner and turn on “Show system apps.”
  3. Select an app, tap the 3 dots menu, and click “Uninstall updates.”
  4. Tap “OK” to confirm you want to uninstall the updates.
  5. Open the Play Store to prevent the app from updating automatically. [1]
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Uninstalling Pre-Installed App Updates

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  1. Tap the app icon of a gear or swipe down from the top of your screen and tap the gear icon that appears in the Quick Panel. [2]
  2. It's near the top of the Settings menu next to the icon of squares in a grid. This will display a list of all your downloaded and system apps. [3]
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  3. It's to the right of "Your Apps" and displays a drop-down menu.
  4. It's at the top of the drop-down menu and, as long as the switch is blue and pointing to the right, will display system apps that came with your phone.
  5. All the apps installed on your Android device are listed in alphabetical order. This will display the Application Info page. [4]
    • You can only uninstall updates on certain apps on certain phones that came pre-installed on your Android device.
  6. This three-dot menu icon is in the upper-right corner of the Application Info page.
    • If you don't see this button in the upper-right corner, you cannot uninstall updates. Jump ahead to learn how to uninstall the app and install an unofficial older version of the app instead.
  7. You will see a popup asking if you want to uninstall updates for the app. [5]
    • If you don't see this option, you won't be able to uninstall app updates. This usually happens with some Android system apps, such as the Camera app.
  8. It's in the lower-right corner of the popup. This will confirm that you want to uninstall updates before uninstalling them. [6]
    • This will restore the version of the app that came with your phone. You will not be able to roll back to an earlier version of the app.
    • Once you've rolled back an app, you probably want to open the Play Store and prevent your app from updating automatically .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Installing an Older Version of an App on Android 8.0 and Later

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  1. APK Installer is an app that installs APK files on your Android device. Use the following steps to download and install APK Installer:
    • Open the Google Play Store .
    • Type "APK Installer" in the search bar.
    • Tap "APK Installer".
    • Tap "Install".
  2. Before we get too far, you'll need to find out some important hardware specs about your Android phone so you can make sure we download the right version of the app. Use the following steps to download and install Droid Hardware Info
    • Open the Google Play Store .
    • Type "Droid Hardware Info" in the search bar.
    • Tap Install below "Droid Hardware Info.
    • Tap Open when it finishes installing.
  3. In the "Device" tab of Droid Hardware Info, note the version of Android you are running in the "OS Version" section and make note the DPI in the "Software Density" section below. The DPI has to do with your phone's screen size.
    • It's a good idea to write these down so you don't forget.
  4. It's at the top of the app.
  5. Here you'll want to pay attention to two options, "CPU Architecture" and "Instruction Sets." From these two sections, you want to find out if your Android runs an ARM chipset or an x86 chipset as well as if it's a 32-bit chipset or a 64bit chipset. If either of these options mention 64 , there's a good bet it's the 64-bit version, if you don't see a 64 mentioned, it probably isn't.
    • If your phone is 64-bits, you can run 32-bit apps without any problems as long as they are the same type (ARM vs. x86), but a 32-bit phone will not run 64-bit apps.
    • The most common CPU in modern Android phones is arm64 .
  6. Before you install the older version of the app, you'll want to uninstall the app completely. You may want to take note of what version the app is currently so you can install the previous version. To uninstall any app:
    • Open Settings app.
    • Tap Apps & notifications (or Apps on Samsung Galaxy devices).
    • Tap the app.
    • Tap Force Stop .
    • Tap Uninstall .
  7. Use the following steps to allow APK Installer to install apps from Unknown Sources.
    • Open the Settings app.
    • Tap Apps & notifications .
    • Tap â‹® in the upper-right corner.
    • Tap Special Access
    • Tap Install unknown apps
    • Tap APK Installer
    • Tap the toggle switch next to Allow from this source .
  8. Open https://www.apkmirror.com in a web browser. Open your mobile browser and go to the official APK Mirror website.
  9. It's in the upper-right corner of the page. APK Mirror has a lot of current and older versions of many popular apps so look for the version you want to download. If you don't see the specific version you're looking for:
    • Tap the Apps tab.
    • Tap the app's title .
    • Scroll down to All versions (listed newest to oldest).
  10. Tap the down-arrow icon on the right, next to the version of the app you want to download. This will take you to the download page.
  11. In the "Download" section, under the "Variant" column, tap the version that meets the specifications you noted earlier for your phone. If the version says "arm" then that's the 32-bit version, whereas "arm64" is the 64-bit version.
    • If your phone is 64-bits, you can run 32-bit apps without any problems as long as they are the same type (ARM vs. x86), but a 32-bit phone will not run 64-bit apps.
    • If there is no version that matches your DPI exactly, select the "nodpi" version, as that usually will fit all screen sizes.
  12. It's a button towards the bottom of the screen. Once the file downloads, you will be asked to open the folder or open the file. It's more effective to open the file in the My Files app.
    • Tap OK if prompted with a disclaimer asking if you want to download this type of file.
  13. This is the default file manager app on Android devices. On most Android devices, this can be found in the Apps drawer.
    • On some Android devices, this may be called "Files".
    • On Samsung Galaxy devices, this can be found in the Samsung folder in the Apps Drawer.
  14. It's in the File Manager app. This displays all apps you have downloaded from the internet.
    • Samsung Galaxy devices also have a folder called "Installation Files" specifically for APK files. You can find your APK files here or in the Downloads folder.
  15. All APK files have a file extension that ends with ".APK".
  16. The first time you open an APK file, you will be asked if you want to select a program to open the file with. Tap the APK Installer app icon and then tap Always at the bottom of the screen.
  17. It's in the lower-right corner of the installation screen. This will install the app. After the app installs, it will launch. The first time the app launches, it will ask to access different features on your phone. Tap "Allow" to let the app access the feature it is requesting.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Installing an Older Version of an App on Android 7.0 and Earlier

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  1. Before we get too far, you'll need to find out some important hardware specs about your Android phone so you can make sure we download the right version of the app. Use the following steps to download and install Droid Hardware Info
    • Open the Google Play Store .
    • Type "Droid Hardware Info" in the search bar.
    • Tap Install below "Droid Hardware Info.
    • Tap Open when it finishes installing.
  2. In the "Device" tab of Droid Hardware Info, note the version of Android you are running in the "OS Version" section and make note the DPI in the "Software Density" section below. The DPI has to do with your phone's screen size.
    • It's a good idea to write these down so you don't forget.
  3. It's at the top of the app.
  4. Here you'll want to pay attention to two options: "CPU Architecture" and "Instruction Sets." From these two sections, you want to find out if your Android runs an ARM chipset or an x86 chipset and if it's a 32-bit chipset or a 64-bit chipset. If either of these options mentions 64 , there's a good bet it's the 64-bit version, if you don't see a 64 mentioned, it probably isn't.
    • If your phone is 64-bits, you can run 32-bit apps without any problems as long as they are the same type (ARM vs. x86), but a 32-bit phone will not run 64-bit apps.
    • The most common CPU in modern Android phones is arm64 .
  5. Before you install the older version of the app, you'll want to uninstall the app completely. You may want to take note of what version the app is currently so you can install the previous version. To uninstall any app:
    • Open Settings app.
    • Tap Apps
    • Tap the app.
    • Tap Force Stop .
    • Tap Uninstall .
  6. In order to install an older version of an app, you must allow your phone to install apps from unknown sources. Use the following steps to allow apps from unknown sources:
    • Open Settings app.
    • Tap Lock screen and security .
    • Tap the toggle switch next to "Unknown sources".
  7. Open https://www.apkmirror.com in a web browser. Open your mobile browser and go to the official APK Mirror website.
  8. It's in the upper-right corner of the page. APK Mirror has a lot of current and older versions of many popular apps so look for the version you want to download. If you don't see the specific version you're looking for:
    • Tap the Apps tab.
    • Tap the app's title .
    • Scroll down to All versions (listed newest to oldest).
  9. Tap the down-arrow icon on the right, next to the version of the app you want to download. This will take you to the download page.
  10. In the "Download" section, under the "Variant" column, tap the version that meets the specifications you noted earlier for your phone. If the version says "arm" then that's the 32-bit version, whereas "arm64" is the 64-bit version.
    • If your phone is 64-bits, you can run 32-bit apps without any problems as long as they are the same type (ARM vs. x86), but a 32-bit phone will not run 64-bit apps.
    • If there is no version that matches your DPI exactly, select the "nodpi" version, as that usually will fit all screen sizes.
  11. It's a button towards the bottom of the screen. Once the file downloads, you will be asked to open the folder or open the file. It's more effective to open the file in the My Files app.
    • Tap OK if prompted with a disclaimer asking if you want to download this type of file.
  12. On many Android phones, this may be the "Downloads" app in your app drawer, or you might access downloads by tapping the "Files" or "My Files" app and then tapping the "Downloads" folder. Located the APK file you downloaded and tap it.
  13. It's in the lower-right corner of the installation screen. This will install the app. After the app installs, it will launch. The first time the app launches, it will ask to access different features on your phone. Tap "Allow" to let the app access the feature it is requesting.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Let's say I want to go back to a prior version of an App. After I download the APK and install it, how do I prevent it from getting automatically updated again?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    Turn off automatic updates for that app. You can do that from the Play Store (wikihow.com/Uninstall-Updates-on-Google-Play-Services) or within the app's settings.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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  • Question
    Can I also use the uninstall update method to free up space on my phone?
    Shravan Kumar
    Community Answer
    It won't make much difference, and only for a short period of time.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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  • Question
    What happens if I don't update my apps?
    IdkAGoodUsername
    Community Answer
    They just become slow, outdated, and unusable.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Warnings

      • Installing apps from sources other than the Google Play Store may contain viruses, malware, or otherwise can harm your phone if installed improperly. Install APK files from unofficial sources at your own risk.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/113410?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
      2. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00080581/
      3. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00080581/
      4. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00080581/
      5. ↑ https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/113410?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
      6. ↑ https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/113410?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid

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