Which Android version should my app support?

For a long time Google Play used API 21 as the standard recommendation for new apps. Until Google deprecated support for Android 5 Lollipop in Google Play back in November 2024. The deprecation of Android 5 (released back in 2015) was not surprising. It's 10 years later and Android 5's market share has dropped below 1%. It had a pretty good run.

Get the data

Before guessing which Android versions to support, let your user base guide your decision.

New apps created in Android Studio automatically get the minimum supported version, for example. If you already have an app in Google Play, head to your app’s "Reach and Device Overview" dashboard. This view gives you:

• Distribution of Android versions among your users
• Device specs, RAM, and hardware configurations
• Performance metrics by OS version

If you already have an app live, use this data before raising your minSDK - otherwise, you might cut off a big part of your audience.

Looking for even more control? Use our 🚀 Orbital Survey to explore aggregate Android version usage, or create your own version usage queries with custom Dashboards!

Consider feature requirements

Beyond your current users, you should consider what your app needs to do.

Want to use new features like scoped storage, gesture navigation, or improved background task APIs? You’ll need to increase your minSDK.

For example:

• Android 9 includes improvements to biometric authentication
• Android 10 introduces scoped storage
• Android 12 adds better app hibernation and UX tools
• and future versions will add shiny new features, too! ✨

If those features are essential to your app, supporting newer versions is worth it - even if it slightly reduces your install base.

Android SDK versions explained

When we say "support Android X", what does that really mean? Let's clear that up.

Disambiguating Android SDK versions

There are three different version numbers that matter in Android development:

minSDK

• The lowest Android version your app supports
• Devices with lower versions won’t see or install your app
• Determines how many users you can reach

Example: Setting minSDK = 24 (Android 7.0) means your app works on 98.6% of active devices. (2025)

targetSDK

• The version you’ve tested against and optimized for
• Tells Android how your app expects to behave
• Optimizes compatibility with newer Android versions
• Required to access some new platform behavior changes

Example: targetSDK = 34 means you’ve tested your app on Android 14 and it behaves accordingly.

compileSDK

• The version of Android your development tools are using
• Should always be set to the latest stable version
• Has no effect on which devices can run your app

Example: compileSdDK = 36 lets you access Android 16 APIs in your codebase (with compatibility checks).

For Libraries

Libraries play by different rules. You’re not building for a single app - you’re building for any app that might want to use your code.

General tips:

• Set minSDK as low as reasonably possible
• Libraries should support older versions than apps
• Keep compileSDK and targetSDK up to date for stability and compatibility

Summary

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here’s a quick guide:

When in doubt, use TelemetryDeck to analyze your audience and make informed decisions.