Why is Android 4.4 KitKat important for Mobile developers/testers?

Before going to the actual topic, let us try to know what Android KitKat is and what its features are.

Android 4.4 KitKat is a newer version of Android which is a successor of popular Android JellyBean (4.1 to 4.3).  Google has named this version of android since it is a major update.

Here are the main features that are expected from Android 4.4 KitKat:

1.   Minimal Hardware requirement. (Android 4.4 KiKat is said to support older devices having RAM of at least 512MB).

2.  Completely revamped User Interface.

3.  Exclusive android cloud system.

4. Improved battery life.

5. Better security, smoother animations/graphics and bug fixes

Now, we know the capabilities of Android 4.4, but how is it going to help mobile testers and developers?

One of the major issues Android testers and developers are facing is android OS fragmentation. There are numerous devices out there in the market which run Android 2.2 to android 4.3. But as part of app development and testing, people normally consider the OS version which is used by large number of users. In case of Android the OS is fragmented in such a way that it’s tough to select any particular OS version for testing/developing. In many cases testing/development teams consider only Android 4.0 and later OS, which eliminates around 50% of the android users.

One of the major reasons for this Android OS fragmentation is increase in demand for better RAM with every Android Version release. Here is a list which helps us understanding this well:

a. Android GingerBread 2.3 à Minimum 384MB

b. Android IceCream Sandwich à Minimum 512MB

c. Android Jellybean 4.1 à Minimum 768MB

Before people started to assume that the next version of android would demand 1GB of RAM, Google has surprised everyone saying Android 4.4 requires only 512MB of RAM. So, what this does is, all the 512MB RAM devices which were not upgraded to JellyBean can now be updated to Android 4.4 KitKat. This significantly reduces Android OS fragmentation.

As we see in the second image, all the devices running OS JellyBean /Ice Cream Sandwich and fewer devices running Android 2.3 GingerBread can now be updated to Android 4.4 KitKat. Thus the OS Distribution of Android 4.4 KitKat can be around 60%. This indeed is a benefit not only for users, but also for developers and testers.

Google is expected to announce Android KitKat 4.4 officially in the second week of October.