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Which Android versions are worth supporting?

Sasparilla

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A few years ago, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) was one of the most popular versions despite its age. Is that still the case? Is writing native apps that work on older versions a lot of extra work?
 
Android is having great updates recently. The newer version like version 4.2 is one of the best out there now.
 
Android is having great updates recently. The newer version like version 4.2 is one of the best out there now.

That does not answer my question. Many Android devices are locked into specific versions unless you unlock them, and even then, the hardware might not be supported by newer versions of Android (think about trying to run Windows 10 on a Pentium 2). I happen to own a DroidX and using the "upgrade system" function happily reports back "you're running the latest version!" despite being only version 3.2.
 
Hey,,
While the latest versions of Android often provide great APIs for your app, you should continue to support older versions of Android until more devices get updated. This lesson shows you how to take advantage of the latest APIs while continuing to support older versions as well.
 
If your writing apps for android devices, then I'd probably only go as far back as the Android version that was new around 3 years ago.

A lot of people change their smartphones every couple of years, so while obviously not everyone will have a new device, I think the majority of people won't have devices older than 4 years old at the most, and those that do will be looking to upgrade.
 
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