In this guide, we will show you two different methods to downgrade the Google App on your Android device. There are quite a few apps that come pre-installed on your device. Most of them are rightly titled as bloatware as they don’t tend to add any value to the overall usage experience but only tend to further bloat the OS. However, it’s fair to say that Google App isn’t one of them.
On paper, it is categorized as a news feed app that brings in curated content based on our topic of interest. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. not many might be aware of this fact but numerous Google apps, including Assistant and Android Auto has either a direct or indirect dependence on this app.
So if there is any issue with the Google App, then its repercussions are usually faced by the other related apps as well. And unfortunately, there is a buggy update rolled out by the Silicon Valley giant that not only affects the Google App, but encapsulates the other members of this ecosystem as well.
To rectify this issue, the only way out is to downgrade the Google App to the earlier stable build. However, this is easier said than done for this app. This is because it is a system app and hence there is no direct way to uninstall this app and install its older version. But even then, there do exist a couple of nifty workarounds that shall help you carry out this task. So without any further ado, let’s check them out.
Table of Contents
Downgrade Google App on Android via Uninstall Updates
Benefit: It is easier to carry out and doesn't require a PC. Downside: You cannot downgrade to the version of your choice.
- Head over to Settings > Apps > See All Apps and select Google App from the list
- Then scroll to the end and tap on App Details. You will be taken to the Play Store.
- Tap on the overflow icon situated at the top right and uncheck Enable Auto-update.
- Now go back to the Google App page and tap on the overflow icon situated at the top right.
- Then select Uninstall Updates > OK in the confirmation dialog box. That’s it.
- So this was the first method to downgrade the Google App on your Android device. Let’s now make you aware of the next method to get this job done.
Downgrade Google App on Android via ADB Commands
Benefit: You could easily downgrade the app to the version of your choice. Downside: It is slightly more technical than the first method and requires a PC.
STEP 1: Disable Auto Update of Google App
- Head over to Settings > Apps > See All Apps and select Google App from the list.
- Then scroll to the end and tap on App Details. You will be taken to the Play Store.
- Tap on the overflow icon situated at the top right and uncheck Enable Auto-update.
STEP 2: Download Android SDK
Next up, grab the the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.
STEP 3: Enable USB Debugging
Next up, you will have to enable USB Debugging on your device so that it is recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging.
STEP 4: Verify ADB Connection
- To begin with, connect your device to the PC via USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
- Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
- Now in the following command in the CMD window to verify the ADB connection:
adb devices
- If you get the device ID, then the connection stands successful. Now type in the below command to open the Shell environment:
adb shell
- It will now list out your device codename (such as sunfish for Pixel 4A), which means that the shell connection has been successfully established as well, and you are good to go ahead.
STEP 5: Find Google App ID
Your next course of action is to get hold of the Google App ID. Now there are three different methods through which this could be carried out. For detailed information about all these three methods, you should check out our guide on How to Get App Package Name on Android [3 Methods]. Out of the three methods, the Play Store is the easiest and quickest one, so we have listed the steps for that below as well.
- Open the Play Store on your browser and search for the Google App [direct link].
- Then go to the URL and copy the value after id=, which would be
com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
STEP 6: Uninstall Google App on Android via ADB Command
Execute the below ADB command in the CMD window to uninstall the Google App from your Android device:
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
STEP 7: Install Older Version of Google App
- Head over to a trusted third-party site and download the desired version of the Google App.
- Then launch it and you will be asked to enable Installation from Unknown Source.
- So enable the toggle next to it and then proceed with the instructions to complete the installation.
That’s it. These were the two different methods to downgrade the Google App on your Android device. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.