| In general, devices running Android 4 | Devices older than Android 4 |
|---|---|
| 1, or devices without Google Play services installed, aren't supported | Helps to optimize on-device resources, such as storage and memory, to improve and your users' overall experience |
At runtime, the client library communicates with the bulk of the SDK's implementation and footprint in Google Play services.
2| Next steps: set up your app To begin using Google Play services APIs in your app, read this | |
|---|---|
| This means that users receive improvements and bug fixes more quickly, and you can take advantage of the latest APIs while reaching most devices in the Android ecosystem | Automatic updates to Google Play services are delivered independent of carrier, OS, or OEM system image updates |
1 API level 16 and are available on a variety of form factors, enabling you to reach more users with less effort.
1| Powers SDKs that are backward compatible to Android 4 | 1 or higher receive updates automatically, provided that these devices have Google Play services installed and sufficient storage available |
|---|---|
| Google Play services receives regular updates that contain improvements and bug fixes | How Google Play services works SDKs Each SDK powered by Google Play services provides a lightweight client library that contains the necessary APIs to interact with its respective service |
These SDKs are unique in that they only require a thin client library to be included in your app, as shown in figure 1.
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