Android SDK Levels

Android SDK Levels

Android Requirements: minSdkVersion, targetSdkVersion and AGP

npx cap add android writes the SDK levels into android/variables.gradle and the build-tool versions into two other files:

The Android levels and Gradle versions of a new Capacitor 8 projectShell

head -4 android/variables.gradle
grep -h -E "tools.build:gradle|distributionUrl" android/build.gradle \
  android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties

Output

ext {
    minSdkVersion = 24
    compileSdkVersion = 36
    targetSdkVersion = 36
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:8.13.0'
distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.14.3-all.zip

minSdkVersion 24 is Android 7.0, about 99% of the market by Capacitor 243,123 's count, and the WebView must be Chrome 60 1 or later. targetSdkVersion 36 (Android 16) matters for publishing: since 31 August 2026 Google Play 1 accepts new apps and updates only if they target API 36, with extensions available to 1 November 2026, so Capacitor 8's default already clears the bar. The project builds with Android Gradle Plugin 8.13.0 234 on Gradle 8.14.3 19,597 , not the AGP 9 used in Android with Kotlin; the template pins these versions, so change them when a Capacitor upgrade guide says to, not whenever Android Studio 234 suggests it.

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