Android Platform Versions are updated over time to deliver new framework API revisions. In most cases, the updates are backward-compatible, meaning that applications built for older versions can continue to run successfully on newer devices. However, the updates can also introduce changes to the system capabilities that your application uses. In these cases, you need to check android api version to ensure that your application is compatible with the user’s device.
The API level is an integer identifier that is used to distinguish the framework API revisions offered by each platform version. The system can detect that an application requires a certain platform version, and will not install the application if it does not meet the minimum system API level.
You can change the Check API version of an application by editing the Android manifest file. Adding the android:minSdkVersion attribute to the uses-sdk> section of the manifest sets the min API level requirement for the app. Typically, this value is less than or equal to the system’s API level integer.
If you want to test an application against different API levels, you can use the AVD Manager to create a separate emulator for each platform version that you need. This method allows you to test the application on each AVD and get a more accurate picture of how it will perform on user devices. You can also test your application at runtime by using a tool such as CPU-Z or droidinfo to determine the SDK version of the user’s device.