How to change Android minSdkVersion in Flutter Project

Question

I was trying to start a flutter project for an App using bluetooth to communicate. For that, I was using flutter blue.

Unfortunately, when trying to run (on an Android device) the first example I created I was met with the following error:

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

  * What went wrong:
  Execution failed for task ':app:processDebugManifest'.
  > Manifest merger failed : uses-sdk:minSdkVersion 16 cannot be smaller than version 19 declared in library [:flutter_blue] /home/maldus/Projects/flutter/polmac/build/flutter_blue/intermediates/manifests/full/debug/AndroidManifest.xml as the library might be using APIs not available in 16
    Suggestion: use a compatible library with a minSdk of at most 16,
            or increase this project's minSdk version to at least 19,
            or use tools:overrideLibrary="com.pauldemarco.flutterblue" to force usage (may lead to runtime failures)

If I were on Android Studio, I'd know how to bump up the Android minSdkVersion, but on a flutter project (using VSCode) I was a little lost.

Is it possible to increase the minSdkVersion with flutter, and how?

Answer 1

Yes, you can change the minSdkVersion in your Flutter project by modifying the build.gradle file located in the android/app directory. Here's how you can do it:

1. Open the build.gradle file in your project.
2. Find the minSdkVersion field and change its value to the desired minimum Android SDK version, such as 19 in your case.
3. Save the file.

After making this change, you may need to run flutter clean to rebuild your app with the updated minSdkVersion. Additionally, be aware that changing the minSdkVersion may affect the compatibility of your app with older devices, so make sure to test your app thoroughly after making this change.

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