Ever got this message after downloading an app from the Android Market?
“This app is not compatible with your device.”
Well, it should become a thing of the past. Google is allowing developer to load more than one APK for an app. This means that developers can have multiple Android installation files (APK) for one app. These multiple APK target different Android devices, different Android OS. That’s the price to pay right now for Android fragmentation. That’s also the reason of the introduction of the apps compatibility function on the Android Market earlier this year. Hopefully the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich later this year should resolve the fragmentation issues as promised.
Most app work on most devices, but because of the many smartphones, tablets and Android OS available, it is a daunting task for software developers to create an app that can work on all devices. This permission from Google to have multiple APK will surely please developers.
For the user, there will be no noticeable changes. The Android Market will automatically detect what device you’re running and the version of Android that you have. It will then select the corresponding APK according to your device specifications.
Yay for no more incompatible apps. At least I hope so, cross fingers.
[Via Android developers]
Related links
– Android’s next OS – Ice Cream Sandwich
