How to make android app run on versions 4.1 through 7.0?
The following statement was added to the manifest file
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="14" android:targetSdkVersion="25"/>
However it still only works on 7.0. What's required to support lower versions too?
Update your app's Gradle file with that:
android {
compileSdkVersion 25 // it is recommended to be the same of targetSdkVersion
defaultConfig {
minSdkVersion 14 // Android 4.1
targetSdkVersion 25 // Android 7.1
}
}
But maybe you wanna to support Android Oreo to, in this case compileSdkVersion and targetSdkVersion must be set to 26 (Android always ask to your support the last version)
There is a article which explain in more details minSdk, maxSdk and compileSdk: link to article
Related
I have an About box in my App that displays information about the App, the phone and the data it uses. It's very useful when a user has a problem. I can get the phone's SDK version using "android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT". However, I haven't found a way to get the value of "CompileSdkversion" which indicates the SDK version the App was compiled with. This is the value that is set in the build.gradle file.
While the Android OS version varies by user, the compileSdkVersion does not. For version X.Y.Z of your app, the compileSdkVersion is whatever you said it was when you compiled that app version. So long as your about box contains the app version, you know what compileSdkVersion that you used, if you keep track of that (e.g., check what it was in your version control system).
But, if you really want to have it be available to you at runtime, you have two options.
If your minSdkVersion is 31 or higher, you can use compileSdkVersion on ApplicationInfo. However, most likely, if you are reading this before the year 2026, your minSdkVersion is lower than that.
For older devices than Android 12, you could add a BuildConfig field for it, at least with newer versions of the Android Gradle Plugin:
android {
compileSdk 31
defaultConfig {
applicationId "com.commonsware.android.myapplication"
minSdk 23
targetSdk 31
versionCode 1
versionName "1.0"
testInstrumentationRunner "androidx.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
buildConfigField "int", "COMPILE_SDK_VERSION", "$compileSdk"
}
// other stuff goes here
}
This takes your defined value for compileSdk and hoists it into BuildConfig.COMPILE_SDK_VERSION, so you can reference it at runtime. This was tested using a scrap Arctic Fox project, using Gradle 7.0.2 and 7.0.3 of the Android Gradle Plugin.
Here is the relationship between the three values:
minSdkVersion (lowest possible) <=
targetSdkVersion == compileSdkVersion (latest SDK)
CompileSdkVersion has nothing to do with what devices can and cannot run your app. Usually, you set this to be the latest version of the Android SDK.
And the targetSdkVersion should be fully tested and less or equal to compileSdkVersion.(It depends on your app)
If you are using the features of API level of 26 then you need to use compileSdkVersion 26, the lower version will give you an error.
Android supports backward compatibility
(i.e. an app compiled on 26 can also run on a phone having API level 26 or lower).
Considering your use-case, wouldn't a better approach be just to show the current app version? If you know the version, you could look up how/when it was created (via git tags, for example) and then find out the SDK version it was compiled with.
I'm trying to implement newer android SDK in my app with below configurations,
android {
compileSdkVersion 'android-R'
buildToolsVersion "30.0.0-rc4"
defaultConfig {
minSdkVersion 14
targetSdkVersion 'R'
}
...
}
I need some clarification,
We have faced the SDK version 29 was not modified after migrated the developer preview android-R. I think the SDK version is 30 right?
I have compared both android 29 & android R build.prop files & SDK version is the same as 29. But in android-R build.prop file release or codename parameter is 'R'. Please confirm for us.
everyone!
I'm new to android programming, so simple things sometimes become a problem.
I have my application. It should work on devices with Android 5 and higher.
The question is what is proper strategy of sdkVersion defining?
What I mean.
For example, I need to acheive permision to use bluetooth.
If my target sdkVersion is 7 and minimum sdkVersion is 5 I should ask permission in manifest file and then acheive it in runtime. Like this
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.M) {
...
}
But if my target sdkVersion is 5 even Build.VERSION_CODES.M cannot be resolved.
So the question is : what is proper approach to choose sdkVersion? Where can I read about it?
I read here https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#target
but I didn't get what is best practice. So please share your experience.
Read this article from Ian Lake: Picking your compileSdkVersion, minSdkVersion, and targetSdkVersion
compileSdkVersion:
compileSdkVersion is your way to tell Gradle what version of the
Android SDK to compile your app with. Using the new Android SDK is a
requirement to use any of the new APIs added in that level.
minSdkVersion:
If compileSdkVersion sets the newest APIs available to you,
minSdkVersion is the lower bound for your app. The minSdkVersion is
one of the signals the Google Play Store uses to determine which of a
user’s devices an app can be installed on.
targetSdkVersion:
The most interesting of the three, however, is targetSdkVersion.
targetSdkVersion is the main way Android provides forward
compatibility by not applying behavior changes unless the
targetSdkVersion is updated. This allows you to use new APIs (as you
did update your compileSdkVersion right?) prior to working through the
behavior changes.
Ideally, the relationship would look more like this in the steady state:
minSdkVersion (lowest possible) <=
targetSdkVersion == compileSdkVersion (latest SDK)
I suppose you are using Android Studio and build.gradle. If not, I recommend you to get it. All of the following is relevant for Android Studio and gradle build system.
Your main mistake is that SDK version in build.gradle of app module is not the same as Android Version. Here is the list of Platform Codenames, Versions, API Levels. What you need for SDK version is number in API level column of first table.
This is how android section of build.gradle for app targeting Android 5.0 and newer should look like.
android {
compileSdkVersion 25
buildToolsVersion "25.0.3"
defaultConfig {
applicationId "net.eraga.myobjectives"
minSdkVersion 21
targetSdkVersion 25
versionCode 1
versionName "1.0"
testInstrumentationRunner "android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
}
buildTypes {
release {
minifyEnabled false
proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
}
}
}
Read more about targetSdkVersion, minSdkVersion and compileSdkVersion here.
In this case, your minSdkVersion should be 21 (android 5.0) and targetSdkVersion along with compileSdkVersionshould be 25 (android 7.1).
I am new to android . I want to have an app does gives backward compatibility also means it should support versions from kitkat and above. If I make Project build target(Properties --> Android) to Android 5.0 (API-21) then it means it will run in lollipop only? If I want to add support library then which library should I import right now I have seen people importing appcompat v7 library for lollipop development. I know this one is quite basic question.
Just write Minimum sdk version in your manifest file
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="19"
android:targetSdkVersion="21" />
Just set minSdkVersion and targetSdkVersion in app gradle file.
android {
compileSdkVersion 23
buildToolsVersion "23.0.2"
defaultConfig {
applicationId "guard.proguard"
minSdkVersion 19
targetSdkVersion 23
versionCode 1
versionName "1.0"
}
}
You control the compatibility in the manifest file.
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="15"
android:targetSdkVersion="22" />
I have an app that works fine on API 19. However, I want it to work well in other API's as well. I'm targeting API 10 and above.
My gradle build looks like this:
android {
compileSdkVersion 18
buildToolsVersion "19.0.1"
defaultConfig {
minSdkVersion 10
targetSdkVersion 18
}
}
But when I run the app on API 10 the AVD manager says compatible: no
How should I change my build so that it is compatible for API 10 and above?
Your gradle config looks correct. Be sure to check your virtual device settings and compare to what you have defined in your manifest file. Also be sure to check any other modules you may have added to the project and their respective gradle and manifest files.