A crucial step in the development process is selecting the appropriate range of OS versions. You should always try to get the most recent device models running the most recent OS versions for both iOS and Android mobile smartphones.
Your goal is to deliver an app that supports versions that your target audience in certain locations uses, even if many customers still use very old devices that date back a few years.
Android vs. iOS: What Are the Difference?
All iOS devices worldwide receive updates on a regular basis, and iOS has complete control over its ecosystem. All other devices, in contrast to it, are affected by what is known as Android fragmentation because Android is unable to govern all the carriers.
How Many Versions Should Your App Support?
Not a lot, at least not at first. Think forward because even then, your target audience will update their devices sooner or later. Every new annual version release often coincides with the shutdown of the previous version.
Even the most ambitious app creators cannot keep up with a significant gap (for instance, compatibility for Android 4 and Android 10), therefore it is clear to steer the development towards the most recent version because it functions more quickly, looks better, and will be used by more people.
Dealing with iOS is simpler because it sends updates via the cloud and complete updates as opposed to Android OS’s iterative modifications, even on their Pixel line or Android One programme. Because the majority of iOS users (more than 90%) only have the most recent two iOS versions, as seen in the graph below, iOS developers are only obliged to consider the most recent two iOS versions as opposed to the five to four Android versions.
An iOS corporation with such structure and management has a cleaner ecosystem without fragmentation like that of Android, where the sheer number of devices and OEMs leads to unintentional problems, app shutdowns, and frequent crashes.
Therefore, you should limit the amount of supported versions that go back if you’re using MVP. Version support, however, must be decided at the outset and cannot be changed during later phases of development because it is part of the foundation.
Does Adding Additional Versions Cost More?
It does, indeed. Because it takes time for developers to create an OS-friendly programme to support more devices, adding more APIs for more versions results in higher expenses.
In general, increasing the number of supported OS versions might increase development costs and time by 5 to 10%. Task complexity increases in direct proportion to version age.
Mind Your Target Audience
In some circumstances, having your app supported on obsolete devices might be advantageous to you as a business owner. The single most crucial aspect to bear in mind when deciding the range of supported OS versions for any iOS and/or Android software development project is your target audience and the devices they use.
Concluding
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