The minimum Android versions required for core ExoPlayer use cases are:
| Use case | Android version number | Android API level |
|---|---|---|
| Audio playback | 4.4 | 19 |
| Audio playback (using offload) | 10 | 29 |
| Video playback | 4.4 | 19 |
| Video playback (with effects) | 4.4 | 19 |
| Video playback (HDR) | 7.0 | 24 |
| DASH (no DRM) | 4.4 | 19 |
| DASH (Widevine CENC; "cenc" scheme) | 4.4 | 19 |
| DASH (Widevine CENC; "cbcs" scheme) | 7.1 | 25 |
| DASH (ClearKey; "cenc" scheme) | 5.0 | 21 |
| SmoothStreaming (no DRM) | 4.4 | 19 |
| SmoothStreaming (PlayReady SL2000; "cenc" scheme) | Android TV | Android TV |
| HLS (no DRM) | 4.4 | 19 |
| HLS (AES-128 encryption) | 4.4 | 19 |
| HLS (Widevine CENC; "cenc" scheme) | 4.4 | 19 |
| HLS (Widevine CENC; "cbcs" scheme) | 7.1 | 25 |
For a given use case, we aim to support ExoPlayer on all Android devices that satisfy the minimum version requirement. Some known device-specific compatibility issues are listed below. Device-specific issues are also listed on the Media3 GitHub issue tracker or the legacy ExoPlayer GitHub issue tracker.
- FireOS (version 4 and earlier): Whilst we endeavour to support FireOS devices, FireOS is a fork of Android and as a result we are unable to guarantee support. Device-specific issues encountered on FireOS are normally caused by incompatibilities in the support that FireOS provides for running Android apps. Such issues should be reported to Amazon in the first instance. We are aware of issues affecting FireOS version 4 and earlier. We believe FireOS version 5 resolved these issues.
- Nexus Player (only when using an HDMI to DVI cable): There is a known issue affecting Nexus Player, only when the device is connected to a monitor using a certain type of HDMI to DVI cable, which causes video being played too quickly. Use of an HDMI to DVI cable is not realistic for an end user setup because such cables cannot carry audio. Hence this issue can be safely ignored. We suggest using a realistic end user setup (e.g., the device connected to a TV using a standard HDMI cable) for development and testing.
- Emulators: Some Android emulators do not properly implement components of Android's media stack, and as a result do not support ExoPlayer. This is an issue with the emulator, not with ExoPlayer. Android's official emulator ("Virtual Devices" in Android Studio) supports ExoPlayer provided the system image has an API level of at least 23. System images with earlier API levels do not support ExoPlayer. The level of support provided by third-party emulators varies. Issues running ExoPlayer on third-party emulators should be reported to the developer of the emulator rather than to the ExoPlayer team. Where possible, we recommend testing media apps on physical devices rather than emulators.