Android API support jumped to level 7

[Joel R. Putnam]

Hi there,

TLDR: app made many months ago was 2.5 MB compiled. I've now made two minor text changes to existing blocks, and the app is now 4MB and, according to the Google Play Developer's Console, only compatible with API level 7+, while the old one was compatible with API 4+. What gives?


I made a project a year or so ago in App Inventor and published it to the play store: an unofficial Hamilton ticket lottery app for the broadway show. Several months went by and the show made its own, polished official app. So I posted something on the play store thanking users and directing them to the new app, saying mine would no longer be actively maintained.

However, they've now opened a lottery in my hometown, Seattle. And Users have started asking for an update.

So I made two very minor tweaks to the app (changing "la" to "seattle" in some blocks now that LA no longer has a show) and uploaded it to Google Play. I was about to launch it when I saw a warning from the play store: my old app worked with Android API 4+. My new one only works with Android API 7+. As a Android 5 user myself, this is a problem.


I don't see anything in the release notes of MTI AI2 to indicate a change, and I do't see what else could have changed in my app. How can I make my app compatible with the devices it's previously been compatible with? If it helps I noticed that the size of my app also appears to have grown 1.5MB between versions, even though the only things I've changed are those text fields and the version codes.

[SteveJG]

Here is why you are having issues:

From http://appinventor.mit.edu/ai2/ReleaseNotes.html  :

Changes between nb163 and nb164 (Decmeber 27, 2017)

This is a component release, a new Companion (version 2.45) contains the changes for this release. Older Companion Apps may work, but new features will not work and other issues may be encountered. We recommend updating to the latest Companion as soon as possible. Companions downloaded from the Google App Store should auto-update.

Starting with this release, MIT App Inventor will require Android version 2.1 or higher. We believe that there are only a very small number of devices in use today that have software older than this. Version 2.1 was released in 2009 and has been unsupported by Google for several years.

2.1 Android 1.0 (API 1)

2.2 Android 1.1 (API 2)

2.3 Android 1.5 Cupcake (API 3)

2.4 Android 1.6 Donut (API 4)

2.5 Android 2.0 Eclair (API 5)

2.5.1 Android 2.0.1 Eclair (API 6)

2.5.2 Android 2.1 Eclair (API 7)

2.6 Android 2.2 Froyo (API 8)

2.7 Android 2.3 Gingerbread (API 9)

Android 2.1 is Android API 7, so you are getting the expected behavior.    App Inventor apps now only work on API 7 or above. Android versions created at about 2009 and earlier are unsupported by Google and now App Inventor.

The file size of your App increases because MIT added support for Themes, a Map component, CloudDB capability etc.  and the supporting code is attached to the final compiled footprint.

Regards,

Steve

[Joel R. Putnam]

Got it - I thought the API level corresponded with the Android version. I can let the 9 year old versions of android go. Thank you!