I’m working on building an Android application that can upload documents to Google Drive. I need to know what the minimum Android API level should be for this functionality to work properly.
Also wondering if there are any specific libraries or dependencies I should include in my project to make the file upload process easier. Has anyone worked with Google Drive integration before?
Any code examples or guidance would be really helpful. I’m pretty new to working with Google’s APIs so I want to make sure I’m starting with the right setup and requirements.
From my experience building a document management app, I’d suggest targeting API level 24 as the baseline. The reason being that Android 7.0 introduced better file provider security which becomes crucial when handling document uploads to external services like Google Drive.
Regarding libraries, I found the Google API Client Library for Java works well alongside the Drive API. One thing that caught me off guard was the upload timeout configuration - make sure to set reasonable timeout values since document uploads can take longer than expected on slower connections. Also, implement chunked uploads for files larger than 5MB to prevent memory issues on older devices.
The trickiest part for me was handling the refresh token properly. Your app needs to gracefully handle token expiration during long upload processes. I recommend testing your implementation with various file sizes and network conditions before releasing.
hey, for gdrive, api level 21+ is the way to go. 19 might work but it’s a gamble. definitely use google play services and the drive api client. just remember, oauth2 can be a pain, so get your creds right from the console before diving in!
I integrated Google Drive into my app last year and encountered some authentication headaches initially. The minimum API level I’d recommend is 23 (Android 6.0) to avoid compatibility issues with newer security requirements. While lower versions might technically work, you’ll save yourself debugging time by targeting 23+.
For dependencies, include the Google Drive REST API v3 library rather than the deprecated v2. The REST API approach gives you more control over uploads and handles large files better than the older client libraries. Make sure to implement proper error handling for network timeouts during uploads, especially for larger documents. The authentication flow requires setting up OAuth 2.0 credentials in Google Cloud Console, and don’t forget to add your app’s SHA1 fingerprint to avoid authentication failures during testing.