What is the minimum SDK version for new applications?

Question

Android

What is the minimum SDK version currently set for new applications?
I want to put at least android 6.0.
Does it make sense to waste time on android 5 compatibility?

Answer 1

Statistics for 2018. Almost a third for Lollipop. I think it makes sense тратить время на совместимость с android 5
.

Answer 2

It makes sense to look at what devices the target audience of the application has and focus only on these numbers. The advice of other developers is useless here, everyone will proceed from their own experience.

Answer 3

The meaning is very much there. Compatibility with the fifth version does not cause any particular problems, and the share of devices on this version is decent.
Moreover, it makes sense to support the fourth version, since there are still quite a few such devices.

Answer 4

The key question is: how are you going to monetize the application?
1. Purchases, subscriptions - you can safely raise the version, because. it is very likely that owners of Android 5.0 and below will not have money for purchases and subscriptions. We start with version 23.
2. Advertising - you need maximum coverage, try to go down to 19, it makes no sense below, old devices have long run out of batteries and broken screens. For the sake of 10 people, don't waste your time catching incompatibility bugs.
Also check the support of ancient versions by third-party libraries and native SDK, some things may work strangely in older systems. And when developing, put in the emulator the most ancient version of Android with the minimum screen sizes that you will support, so that later it will not be excruciatingly painful.
And don't forget that there used to be tablets with large screens on Android 4.4 too ;)