Does this Android app work on my phone? Android Market website quickly says Yes or No.

June 7, 2011 | by Andrew Kameka

There are few things on Android more frustrating than looking for the hot new Android app, only to discover that it is not compatible with your particular device. The Android Market now provides a quick confirmation of whether an app will run successfully on a phone or tablet.

The Android Market website now performs an immediate compatibility check to see if each Android app works with any of the phones or tablets associated with a user’s account. Available on the left side of the screen, the website will either say that app is compatible with all, some, or none of those devices, and then list each one by clicking the “+” sign.

For example, the Netflix app tells me that none of the four Android devices that I’ve accessed the Market with recently will run the app successfully. However, all of those devices will run TuneIn Radio, and only two are able to access Samurai II (NVIDIA Tegra 2 is required to play the game).

The previous way to determine compatibility was to press “Install” and hope that the device would be listed. This subtle change to the Android Market, rolling out in stages to users right now, should provide quicker access to that information. It won’t address the fragmentation problems Android faces, but it helps individuals recognize potential problems sooner.

The compatibility check is one of the many changes that Google has made to the Android Market website in recent weeks. Since May, Market.Android.com has added trends and charts, user-sourced suggestions, a +1 button, maturity filters, and support for an additional 99 countries. The past 6 weeks has been the busiest update window in the Android Market’s history.

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android apps, Android fragmentation, android market, Android Market web store, fragmentation

7 Comments

Djblois said: On June 8, 2011

When will they add that to the on-device store?

David Williams said: On June 8, 2011

Not available everywhere yet, I'm not getting the updated market.

zizzybaloobah said: On June 8, 2011

They must be rolling this out really slowly. I don't see this at all when I view the Market website.

Rey said: On June 8, 2011

I noticed it yesterday, when I was looking for an app the I previously uninstalled from my EVO. Although the app was in my library , the market advised me that it was not compatiable with my device.

Android Development said: On June 9, 2011

Wow simply great . When it will hit the market. And thanks for sharing.

Cheap Android Phones said: On September 8, 2011

Interesting post Andrew, compatibility is always going to be important with consumers, so this will only help Android grow.

Great read, thanks.

Jaineel said: On November 11, 2012

Hey thanks for sharing, but is there any way to find whether the app will work on a particular phone which is not on the list?

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