same app on google play with different api level

Question

I have develop an app from api 11 so Honeycomb, ICS and jelly beam works fine. I decided to do this because many new methods are deprecated and the visual appearance is better since ICS. (it is already working on google play).

But now I decide to develop the app for Gingerbeard, so I need help to think on the shortest way to do it.

Actually the app is define to:

<uses-sdk
    android:minSdkVersion="11"
    android:targetSdkVersion="15"/>

• First question: I think on develop the other app with minsdk:8 and maxsdk 10, so that the users of GB found the new app and the users of HNC,ICS and JB founds the app that was already on google play. Because if in the new app I define maxsdk 10 the users of ICS are not going to search it, no?

• Second: If the first question works, can I call to the project with the same package name? Maybe the answer for this is NO! But doesn´t matter I can change the package name the big problem cames, when I upload the app to google play with the name of the app.

  So in that case, can I put the same name with different package?

Answer 1

If you really want to publish Multiple APK, here's how to do it: Creating Multiple APKs for Different API Levels

However, I'm not sure its the best solution for you. You can keep a single APK, and just add custom layouts and drawables in res/drawable-vX and res/layout-vX.

• Resources Overview
• Supporting Different Platform Versions

Answer 2

What you are looking for is Multiple APK Support.

Answering your questions:

1 - Yes, the Google Play filters will show the correct APK for each device based on the sdkVersion.

2 - Not only you NEED to use the same package name, there are other rules you have to follow.