What advantages and disadvantages of upgrading build tools version android studio

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I am an amateur Android developer and on my current projects I am currently using buildToolsVersion 27.0.3 and planning on upgrading to 28.0.3 to be able to use some of its new functionality.

I do understand that I would need to also change my libraries to refer to 28.0.3 for compatibility. I'd like to know how will my project be impacted upon upgrade.

Are there any classes/methods on libraries on lower build tool versions that don't exist anymore or have revised behaviors on higher build tool versions which can cause the app to behave differently?

android-gradle-plugin android-studio build.gradle gradle android
1 Answers

The build tools would surely have bug fixes and enhancements that you might want to use. Check out the release notes of all the versions here.

SDK Build tools

It can bring in features like the D8 compiler, Java 8 support etc.

Currently, when you create a new project in Android studio, a default build tools version is attached to the gradle plugin. So, specifying a build tools version is not mandatory anymore. When the gradle plugin it updated, the build tools are also updated. However, if needed, you can still specify the build tools version that you want to use.

Upgrading to newer versions is always recommended. Generally, upgrading will not have any problems, especially between 27.0.3 to 28.0.3, although it depends on your project setup. You might have to update certain libraries to make the new versions compile and build your apps.

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