Installation error: INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK

I am new to Android development and I want first to get the Hello World application running. I am using Eclipse IDE and the Android 4.0.3 version 15 SDK. I copied everything from a tutorial site, but when I try to run the application on the virtual device I get this error:

[2012-02-01 11:31:23 - Android_test] Installation error: INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK
[2012-02-01 11:31:23 - Android_test] Please check logcat output for more details.
[2012-02-01 11:31:23 - Android_test] Launch canceled!

Here is my class in the com.maze.app package: package com.maze.app;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class HelloAndroid extends Activity{
  @Override
    public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        TextView tv = new TextView(this);
        tv.setText("Hello, Android");
        setContentView(tv);

    }

}

and the AndroidManifest.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.maze.app"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="15" android:targetSdkVersion="@string/app_name"/>

<application
    android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
    android:label="@string/app_name" >
    <activity android:name="HelloAndroid" android:launchMode="standard" android:enabled="true"></activity>
</application>

Here is the configuration of the Virtual Device:

Name: AndroidVD
CPU/ABI: ARM(armeabi-v7a)
Path: path\to\avd
Target: Android 4.0.3(API level 15)
Skin: WVGA800
hw.lcd.density: 240
hw.cpu.model: cortex-a8
vm.heapSize: 48
hw.ramSize:512

What is the problem?

EDIT: The application is not running on the Virtual Device: Here is what I get on LogCat(some of the lines):

D/PackageManager(92): New package installed in /data/app/com.maze.app-2.apk
D/dalvikvm(92): GC_CONCURRENT freed 660K, 9% free 11935K/12999K, paused 18ms+72ms
I/ActivityManager(92): Force stopping package com.maze.app uid=10040
D/BackupManagerService(92): Received broadcast Intent { act=android.intent.action.PACKAGE_REPLACED dat=package:com.maze.app flg=0x10000010 (has extras) }
V/BackupManagerService(92): updatePackageParticipantsLocked: com.maze.app

It is due to android:targetSdkVersion="@string/app_name" in your manifiest file.
Change it to:

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="15" android:targetSdkVersion="15"/>

The targetSdkVersion should be an integer, but @string/app_name would be a string. I think this causing the error.

EDIT:
You have to add a default intent-filter in your manifiest file for the activity. Then only android can launch the activity. otherwise you will get the below error in your console window.

[2012-02-02 09:17:39 - Test] No Launcher activity found!
[2012-02-02 09:17:39 - Test] The launch will only sync the application package on the device!

Add the following to your <activity> tag.

<activity android:name="HelloAndroid" android:launchMode="standard" android:enabled="true">  
  <intent-filter>
    <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
  </intent-filter>
</activity>

This means the version of android of your avd is older than the version being used to compile the code

This error occurs when the sdk-version installed on your device (real or virtual device) is smaller than android:minSdkVersion in your android manifest.

You either have to decrease your android:minSdkVersion or you have to specify a higher api-version for your AVD.

Keep in mind, that it is not always trivial to decrease android:minSdkVersion as you have to make sure, your app cares about the actual installed API and uses the correct methods:

AsyncTask<String, Object, String> task = new AsyncTask<String, Object, String>() {
    @Override
    protected Boolean doInBackground(String... params) {
        if (params == null) return "";
        StringBuilder b = new StringBuilder();
        for (String p : params) {
             b.append(p);
        }
        return b.toString();
    }
};
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.HONEYCOMB) {
    task.executeOnExecutor(AsyncTask.THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR,"Hello", " ", "world!");
} else {
    task.execute("Hello", " ", "world!");
}

Using the android-support-library and/or libraries like actionbar-sherlock will help you dealing especially with widgets of older versions.

I am using Android Studio 0.8.1. I have a project's gradle file like below:

android {
    compileSdkVersion 19
    buildToolsVersion "20.0.0"

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.omersonmez.widgets.hotspot"
        minSdkVersion 15
        targetSdkVersion 19
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0"
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            runProguard false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }
}

My emulator was android 4.0. So i modified my emulator and made api level 4.0.3(apilevel 15). It worked.

I tried all the responses described here but my solution was changing inside my build.gradle file minSdkVersion from 8 to 9 because some libraries in my project can´t work with API 8, that´s was the reason for the message INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK:

apply plugin: 'com.android.application'

    android {
        compileSdkVersion 22
        buildToolsVersion "22.0.1"
    
        defaultConfig {
            applicationId "com.tuna.hello.androidstudioapplication"
            minSdkVersion 9
            targetSdkVersion 22
            versionCode 1
            versionName "1.0"
        }
...
...
...

In my case I edited a project having this in the AndroidManifest.xml file, and which was ginving me the above error, at runtime:

<uses-sdk
    android:minSdkVersion="17"
    android:targetSdkVersion="17" />

What I did just, was to change minSdkVersion="17", to minSdkVersion="16". My resulting tag was:

<uses-sdk
    android:minSdkVersion="16"
    android:targetSdkVersion="17" />

Now I'm not getting the error anymore..

Hope this helps

Received the same error , the problem was difference in the version of Android SDK which AVD was using and the version in AndroidManifest file. I could solve it by correcting the

android:minSdkVersion="16"

to match with AVD.

You will see the same error if you are trying to install an apk that was built using

compileSdkVersion "android-L"

Even for devices running the final version of Android 5.0. Simply change this to

compileSdkVersion 21

Fix for new Android 6.0 Marshmallow Fixed my issue when I updated to API 23 (Android 6.0 Marshmallow) by updating the build tools version to 23.0.0 as follows:

android {
    buildToolsVersion '23.0.0'
...

And went to File > Project Structure , chose Properties tab then updated the Compile Sdk version to "API 23: Android 5.X (MNC)" and the Build tools version to "23.0.0"

I am on Android Studio. I got this error when min/targetSDKVersion were set to 17. While looking thro this thread, I tried to change the minSDKVersion, voila..problem fixed. Go figure.. :(

    android:minSdkVersion="17"
    android:targetSdkVersion="17" />

Make sure to check your build.gradle and that it doesn't use a newer SDK version than what is installed on your AVD. That's only if you use Android Studio though.

If you are totally new like me, you must install the minimum SDK at first. Check the link.

This worked out perfectly for me:

Same problem other post with a good solution

Regards,

Khaled.

My solution was to change the run configurations module drop-down list from wearable to android. (This error happened to me when I tried running Google's I/O Sched open-source app.) It would automatically pop up the configurations every time I tried to run until I changed the module to android.

You can access the configurations by going to Run -> Edit Configurations... -> General tab -> Module: [drop-down-list-here]

I found that making the recommended change in the manifest didn't solve my problem.

The fix was found in the GradleScripts folder, in the build.gradle file for the Module:app.

Inside this file (build.gradle) the following line was modified. minSdkVersion 22 I changed this '22' value to '19' for my particular phone and the build completed without error.

Mate, my advice is to change virtual device. Download "Genimotion" application, its easy to use and there are a lot of any devices you need

Go in your project's build.cradle file and add

defaultConfig {
    minSdkVersion versions.minSdk

}`

This makes it that your application conforms to the minimum SDK your device is running.

Ionic Android emulator error INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK

So, basically it means that the installation has failed due to having an older SDK version than the targetSdkVersion specified in your app (it's a Gradle issue). Just edit the AndroidManifest.xml file and add the following code:

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="19" android:targetSdkVersion="14"/>

After days looking for the solution, that's it.

Works fine for me!

If the error "Installation error: INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK" appears, you must change the version of minSdkVersion in AndroidManifest to the one specified in the android emulator: see Settings -> About phone -> Android version.

I've changed my android:minSdkVersion and android:targetSdkVersion to 18 from 21:

uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="18" android:targetSdkVersion="18" 

Now I can install my app successfully.