Ask HN: Writing my first Android app – should I use Material Design?

Posted by flamtik on Wednesday June 24, 2015 @10:13PM
from the ask-hn dept.

It seems like a big PITA, but I'm being told it's worth it.

I understand that if I use a MD style, I also need to create a backup <v21 style for older devices. It seems like a lot of work for a beginner.

So, is MD worth it?

( 4 comments | 3 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: Writing my first Android app – should I use Mater... by smartician on Thursday June 25, 2015 @12:33AM (#9775965)

Use AppCompat, and you'll get native MD on >= SDK 21, and an emulated MD on < SDK 21 devices.

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2014/10/appcompat-v21...

It's a bit of a hassle (you'll need to use compatibility facades vs the real thing, which are sometimes a bit inconsistent), but it's not too bad.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Writing my first Android app – should I use Mater... by hgarg on Wednesday June 24, 2015 @11:52PM (#9775837)

Don't worry about MD right now. Get your first version out there, asap first.

MD can be adopted later.

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Re:Ask HN: Writing my first Android app – should I use Mater... by Zigurd on Friday June 26, 2015 @08:02AM (#9783725)

Yes.

It's in the app templates you should start with in the SDK, and, as kpgx points out on this thread, you can use the Support Libraries for back-compatibility.

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Re:Ask HN: Writing my first Android app – should I use Mater... by kpgx on Thursday June 25, 2015 @12:11AM (#9775877)

MD is not that hard to implement. And you can use Support Libraries to maintain the compatibility for older devices.

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