Is it ok to target Android 1.5 for my business app?

Question

I am writing a simple business app that retrieves data from a server for very light content. IS there any disadvantage to building this on Android v1.5?

I'd like to make my application available to as many Android devices as possible. I was just wondering if there are any significant performance disadvantages if I build for this target platform and run it to v2.2 or v2.3.

Answer 1

You can target 1.5 but you will loss some new features in new Android versions, Also must take in consideration memory management for old android devices.

2.1 and above enough to cover almost the market. check this

Answer 2

Short answer: no, don't target 1.5.

Long answer: 1.5 is hardly run by anybody nowadays (see http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html ) and you'll encounter issues when you want to add in some cool neat features that aren't in 1.5 but are in other versions (1.6+). One big issue here is 1.5 does not support multiple screen sizes. This feature was introduced in 1.6 (using the folders drawable-hdpi drawable-mdpi etc) and as a result, when you specify in your manifest minSdkVersion="3" your application will automatically be run in Screen Compatibility mode (see http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screen-compat-mode.html ). You can work around this by setting min=3 and target=4, but it will become tedious since there are many other really useful functions you simply won't be able to use in 1.5. Realistically, 1.6 should be the baseline.

Answer 3

I would think the major disadvantage would be the lack of different screen resolutions. I believe that was a 1.6 and up thing.

There's nothing "wrong" with 1.5, but I'd say you're WAY beyond the point of diminishing returns. If a client asked us to support 1.5 I'd consider not taking the job ;) 1.6 is the only practical minimum at this point (IMHO, which I sure many will disagree with).

Answer 4

It all depends on what APIs you are using. You may need to make some compromises that might affect performance if you stick to the 1.5 API. Otherwise, as far as performance goes, I think the main thing you'll need to be concerned about is compatibility mode with large-screen devices running newer OS versions.

According to the Android statistics, V1.5 devices represent less than 1% of the market. The market for your app may have different statistics, of course, but I wonder how important 1.5 is to anyone.

A better approach is to design the app, determine what APIs it uses, and then decide whether backward compatibility is worth whatever compromises in app performance or features that would entail.