Resolving Compile SDK Conflict with Androidx.Activity 1.8.0

Problem Statement

When building an Android project using the com.google.android.material:material:1.10.0 dependency, you may encounter this critical build error:

An issue was found when checking AAR metadata:

1. Dependency 'androidx.activity:activity:1.8.0' requires libraries and applications that
   depend on it to compile against version 34 or later of the
   Android APIs.

   :app is currently compiled against android-33.

Also, the maximum recommended compile SDK version for Android Gradle
plugin 8.0.2 is 33.

This occurs because the Material library v1.10.0 includes a dependency on Androidx Activity v1.8.0, which mandates compiling against Android API Level 34 (Android 14) or higher. However, your project is configured for compileSdk 33 (Android 13), creating a version mismatch. The Android Gradle plugin (v8.0.2) also caps the recommended compile SDK at 33, compounding the issue.

Recommended Solution: Update Compile SDK

The optimal solution matches Android's official recommendation: upgrade your project to use API Level 34.

Implementation Steps

1. Open module-level build.gradle in your app module
2. Update compileSdk and targetSdk values:

android {
    namespace 'com.your.app'
    compileSdk 34  // Update from 33
    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.your.app"
        minSdk 24
        targetSdk 34  // Update from 33
        // ... other configurations
    }
    // ... remaining configurations
}

3. Update Android Gradle Plugin in project-level build.gradle:

// Top-level build.gradle
plugins {
    id 'com.android.application' version '8.2.0' // or higher
    // ...
}

4. Sync Gradle and rebuild your project

Recommended Action Flow

Alternative Solution: Downgrade Material Library

If temporarily upgrading SDK isn't viable, downgrade the Material library to a version compatible with API 33:

dependencies {
    // Replace with:
    implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.9.0'
    // Other dependencies remain unchanged
}

Compatibility Notice

Material Version	Required compileSdk	Notes
1.10.0	34+	Requires Android 14 API
1.9.0	33	Compatible with Android 13
1.8.0	33	Last of v1.8 series

Explanation

Why This Happens

Android dependencies progressively adopt newer platform features. The androidx.activity:activity:1.8.0 contains Android 14-specific bytecode, triggering an enforcement mechanism in the Android build system. The dependency chain looks like:

material:1.10.0 
→ activity:1.8.0 
→ Requires compileSdk 34

Solution Comparisons

Approach	Pros	Cons
Update to compileSdk 34	Future-proof, supports latest features	Requires compatibility testing
Downgrade Material	Quick fix, no SDK update needed	Missing latest Material Design features
Exclude activity module	Avoids SDK upgrade	May cause runtime crashes

Avoid Anti-Patterns

Never use these problematic workarounds:

# gradle.properties - Hides actual issue
android.suppressUnsupportedCompileSdk=34

// Arbitrary dependency exclusion - unstable
implementation("com.google.android.material:material:1.10.0") {
    exclude(group: "androidx.activity", module: "activity")
}

Verification Steps

After applying the solution:

1. Clean project (Build > Clean Project)
2. Invalidate caches (File > Invalidate Caches)
3. Verify SDK settings in build.gradle
4. Sync project with Gradle files
5. Build project (Build > Make Project)

Expected result: The dependency error disappears, and your app builds successfully.

Tip: Always match major version numbers between AndroidX libraries (e.g., Material v1.9.x works best with AppCompat v1.6.x).