Retrieving Android API version programmatically

Question

Is there any way to get the API version that the phone is currently running?

Answer 1

As described in the Android documentation, the SDK level (integer) the phone is running is available in:

android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT

The class corresponding to this int is in the android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES class.

Code example:

if (android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP){
    // Do something for lollipop and above versions
} else{
    // do something for phones running an SDK before lollipop
}

Edit: This SDK_INT is available since Donut (android 1.6 / API4) so make sure your application is not retro-compatible with Cupcake (android 1.5 / API3) when you use it or your application will crash (thanks to Programmer Bruce for the precision).

Corresponding android documentation is here and here