what is the difference between “min sdk , target sdk and compile with ” ? in android

Question

What is the difference between \"min SDK, target SDK and compile with\" in android?

What is the difference between \"minimum SDK, target SDK and compile with\", that app

Answer 1

Trying to keep it simple as possible I can explain the three terms in the following way:

Min Required SDK: shows the device with the minimum android version you want your app to support. So for instance, if you select API 11: Honey Comb in the drop down list. This will show that your app won't support/won't run on any android device having android version lower than Honey Comb.

Target SDK: This should always be kept as higher as possible as it tells the maximum android version you have been targetting or testing your app with. So, if you keep your minReqSDK>> 11 (honey comb) and targetSDK>> 21 (Lollipop), this shows that your app will run on all android versions from honeycomb to Lollipop with no compatibility issues as you have set your target SDK>> 21 Lollipop version.

Compile With: This has nothing to do with android supporting whatever devices. You can chose any android version which you have installed using your SDK manager to compile and run your app for development purpose.

In your case: min sdk version: 14 target sdk :17 compile with: 14

Your device will support all android version having api level 14 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to api level 17 (Jelly Bean 4.2). And you have been using api level 14 (ICS) to compile and run your app for development.

Hope this helps.