[Aulig]

These minimum SDK requirements have been known for a very long time. It's correct that the email only got sent recently, but the requirements are usually announced 2 years in advance in this manner:

After 0 days: New Android version comes out After 1 year: App Updates need to target the latest Android version After 2 years: Apps can't be downloaded on devices with the "new" Android version anymore unless they target the "new" Android version

So normally there should be plebty of time to prepare. However, if you're an indie developer or not actively maintaining the app, then it definitely is annoying, since usually the apps would work perfectly fine on the new Android version without updating the targetSdk version.

[sirius87]

Many companies, institutions, public bodies hire external contractors to do a one-time development of a limited-scope app. I bet a bunch of them have their Google Play Console dev account email read by people in some engineering infrastructure function who know nothing about Android development.

Updating their apps now means an internal scramble and unexpected project costs. Not saying its wrong or that we shouldn't move forward. Just saying many were complacent and contractors may have good opportunties in this space.

[izacus]

There's nothing "unexpected" about a process that takes 2 years to enforce restrictions and has been communicated and has been in place for years.

[sirius87]

Unexpected in the sense that at the time of commissioning the project years ago, they did not anticipate this event down the line.

[izacus]

This process has been in place for literal years and every professional Android developer part of such commissioning would know about it. Just like every iOS developer would know that apps need to be maintained for new iOS releases.

This is just incompetent planning.