About Vulkan on Android

  • Introduced with Android 7.0 (API 24): This means that devices running Android 8.0+ can support Vulkan.

  • Not Mandatory until Later: Historically, Vulkan support was optional for Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) compliance. Devices were only "STRONGLY RECOMMENDED" to support it if they supported OpenGL ES 3.0 or 3.1.

  • Current Status & Future:

    • Android 10 (API 29) onwards, Vulkan 1.1 support became a requirement for new 64-bit Android devices. This significantly boosted its baseline adoption on newer hardware.

    • Google has declared Vulkan the official graphics API for Android, with a full requirement coming into effect with Android 17.

    • Current "Active Device" Market Share: As of mid-2025 devices running Android 10 and newer make up a substantial majority of the active Android device base. Source: Statcounter Global Stats, June 2025 - Note: These are overall OS versions, not direct Vulkan support percentages.

      • Android 14: ~25%

      • Android 15: ~21%

      • Android 13: ~17%

      • Android 12: ~12%

      • Android 11: ~10%

      • Android 10: ~5%

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