Recommended Minimum Android App SDK

Question

I am making an android app, and am wondering what the industry's thoughts are on supporting older android versions like GingerBread and FroYo. Should a developer like me take the extra step to make my app compatible with those older versions, or are they obsolete? I am speaking in terms of the market in 2014.

Increasing my minimum SDK version opens up some more APIs, so which option should I pick, compatibility or APIs and features?

question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24441178/recommended-minimum-android-app-sdk

Answer 1

Most of the Android devices are above the Gingerbread level. But there are still a decent number of those devices out there. You, as a developer, must decide if the number of users who would potentially download your app for those versions of Android is worth the level of effort in developing the app for those versions. For the past year, both companies I've worked at have begun to work on 4.0 and above only and have forsaken the lower versions.

To get the current information on what the ecosystem looks like for Android, check out Google's dashboard

As I write this comment, Gingerbread and below is around 15% of the total population.

2019 UPDATE: Google's dashboard states that only 0.2% of Android users are running Gingerbread (Android 2.3). Around 3% are using Jelly Bean (Android 4.1/4.2/4.3), and 7.6% are running KitKat (Android 4.4).

Generally, companies target a minimum version of KitKat, or SDK 19, for new endeavors. For personal projects, we usually choose Lollipop, or SDK 21, as it brings a number of improvements to the table, such as improved build times.