Android: API level VS. Android version

Question

I am new to Android development and I would like to know what is the relationship or difference between version and API level. What do they relate to? And what does it mean when I decided to develop an application for API 14 or for Android version 4.0?

Or one subset of the other? I just did not understand, and why are there two counters?

thank

Answer 1

Well, the API is for development, so the changes in the new version of the API are more "inside". But the new version of Android usually adds more features to users who are "visible."

Check this page http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/api-levels.html , there is a table that shows the relationship between versions and levels of the API.

Answer 2

Several versions of Android can have the same API level, but an integer API allows developers to more easily target devices. The table below will give you an idea of ​​their relationship, but only the documentation contains exhaustive lists of API levels and how they differ from each other.

Source: developer.android.com .

Since this data is obtained from the new Google Play Store application, which supports Android 2.2 and higher, devices running on older versions are not included. However, in August 2013, versions older than Android 2.2 accounted for about 1% of devices that registered on Google’s servers (not those that actually visited the Google Play Store).

Answer 3

In addition to the answers provided, there is a detailed explanation of Android Using the platform on Wikipedia ( permalink ).

In this table you will find a link to the Android API vs Version.

Answer 4

The API level is an integer value that uniquely identifies the version of the framework API offered by the version of the Android platform.

You may have a new version of Android with the same version of the API as in the previous version.

Check out https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#ApiLevels

Answer 5

An Android device with version X typically supports applications written for API X and below.

This means that if you want your application to support API 8, devices of version 8 could run it, but also devices from versions 9, 10, 11, etc.

Here is a table that explains the relationship between the numbers: http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/api-levels.html

Answer 6

API = a set of functions and procedures that allow you to create applications that access functions or data of the operating system, application, or other service.

Android = Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google.

Thus, if we are developing a new API with new functions, they may not be supported in the old Android operating system, so we take the old operating system, version ++ adds support for the new API and we go (:

on the other hand, if we have a new operating system with new features, we want to update the old API to support it, so we have a c ++ version of the API.

Sounds weird, huh?