Mipmaps vs. drawable folders

android android-drawable mipmaps
David picture David · Jan 21, 2015 · Viewed 290.3k times · Source

I'm working with Android Studio 1.1 Preview 1. I noticed that when I create a new project I'm getting the following hierarchy:

Enter image description here

Mipmap folders for different DPIs, no more different DPIs drawable folders.

Should I put all my resources in the mipmap folders, or just the app icon?

Answer

Joel picture Joel · Jan 21, 2015

The mipmap folders are for placing your app/launcher icons (which are shown on the homescreen) in only. Any other drawable assets you use should be placed in the relevant drawable folders as before.

According to this Google blogpost:

It’s best practice to place your app icons in mipmap- folders (not the drawable- folders) because they are used at resolutions different from the device’s current density.

When referencing the mipmap- folders ensure you are using the following reference:

android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"

The reason they use a different density is that some launchers actually display the icons larger than they were intended. Because of this, they use the next size up.

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