Coping with New Android Versions

Since 2008, every year we have had a new Android version… except for those years when we had more than one new Android version.

As a result, dealing with new Android versions is a common process and a common source of headaches for Android developers. This chapter helps to explain what you should expect and how generally to go about dealing with changes.

The March of the Versions

There have been four periods of Android releases, with different release frequencies.

2008-2010: So Many Releases

Early on, we had lots of releases:

This does not include various patch releases, such as Android 2.3.3. A new Android release with new functionality was never more than a few months away.

2011: The Rise of the Tablet

2011 saw a similar cadence of releases. Three of them — 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 — were exclusively available for tablets. Android 4.0 brought some of the Android 3.x changes (e.g., the “holo” widget theme) to phones.

2012-2013: May the Fours Be With You

The next two years saw four point releases in Android 4.x: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4. While that is a lot, it still represents a bit of a slowdown, with only two releases per year.

2014 Onwards: Serenity Now

Since the release of Android 5.0 in 2014, the frequency of releases has slowed to one or two per year. Each year has received a new major release, and some years also received a “.1” minor release. However, the trend has been towards a single release per year.

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