How can I change the minimum SDK in an Android (Studio) project with recent (2020 ) versions of Android Studio and Gradle?

During the creation of a new Android Studio project the wizard ask for the minimum SDK required.

Since the wizard generates a lot of boilerplate files and code, I assume that the boilerplate code is tailored to the minimum SDK chosen. My first objective is to generate a modern, lean, forward-compatible (Kotlin) app, so I chose API 31 (most recent non-beta on 29 Dec 2021). However, once the app (which is simple) is working, I would like to lower the minimum SDK to include as many devices as possible (without adding legacy dependencies, code, etc.). Is this a correct way to think about the relation between the choice of minimum SDK and the boilerplate code?

There are existing questions on older (2013) versions of Android Studio (and Gradle), e.g.

CodePudding user response：

I believe all you need to do is set minSdkVersion like provided by

Alternatively you can switch from the "Project View" to Android. From the dropdown menu that open when you click "Project" (screenshot, highlighted).