Google used a blog post to advise developers to migrate away from using the Menu button toward using the Action Bar present in newer versions of the Android OS, to reflect changes in the way the platform is structured.
Before the introduction of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), all Android-powered devices included a dedicated Menu button, which developers could use to display relevant options to users. However, with later versions of the platform removing the need for this button to enable the creation of all-touch devices, developers should move to support the Action Bar “in order to provide the most intuitive and consistent user experience in apps.”
The company said that it is possible to continue support for the Menu button for pre-Honeycomb devices, but also provide Action Bar compatibility, “with only a few lines of code change.”
The post noted that newer devices do include a compatibility mode to enable older apps (which use the Menu feature) to function, but that this “doesn’t provide an ideal user experience.” Indeed, it warns that in some cases this will be present even when not needed, providing a button that “does nothing and creates user confusion.”
Earlier this month, Google provided details of the most common platforms among visitors to Android Market, which showed that as yet the
latest versions have yet to gain traction, with the most popular platform being Android 2.3.x (Gingerbread). This is set to change as manufacturers offer updates and begin shipping devices with newer versions.