Install Android API 34

Question

I am looking to update one of our Xamarin Form mobile apps, but not move to MAUI.

I am looking for a quicker update and deployment before moving this app to MAUI.

My question is, can I update Visual Studio 19 (I am not upgrading this) so that Android API 34 is available.   I currently cannot find a way to install it and the documentation I found said it is not possible.

I understand I should move to MAUI and VS 2022, but in this case I cannot currently.  I also know the Xamarin documentation says it is not supported as of May 2024, just reaching out to see if it is still possible 😊

Answer 1

Why can't you install Visual Studio 2022 Community as an additional copy of Visual Studio on your machine? I still have VS 2019 on my machine and can use either version. With VS 2022, you can produce an app using API 34. You just need to make sure your Android manifest has the following <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="25" android:targetSdkVersion="34" />.

It will produce a warning when you build it, but the warning can be safely ignored. Google Play will accept an API 34 app for at least another 12 months or more, so that should provide a reasonable buffer as you migrate to net9.0-android35

My app has never used Xamarin Forms, so I can't say you won't have problems using it.