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eclipseandroidandroid-version

Android Application Version - Min SDK Version

I have looked at http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html

enter image description here

2.1 : 27.2%
2.2 : 63.9%
2.3 : 0.8%
2.3.3 : 1.7%
3.0 : 0.2%

I am pretty sure I will use Android 2.1 as my version, covering almost 94% of current users. When I go to set up an android application in eclipse, I see this screen

new android project

The documentation says

Min SDK Version

This value specifies the minimum API Level required by your application.

What does that mean? Does that mean I can pick 2.3 for my build target, but select 7 as the min sdk version and have all devices running 2.1 supported?

Solution

  • I found a similar post ( Android Min SDK Version vs. Target SDK Version ). Here's part of the answer:

    android:minSdkVersion

    An integer designating the minimum API Level required for the application to run. The Android system will prevent the user from installing the application if the system's API Level is lower than the value specified in this attribute. You should always declare this attribute.

    android:targetSdkVersion

    An integer designating the API Level that the application is targetting.