Difference between SVG and VectorDrawable in Android

Question

While Android supports SVG, why should it be converted to VectorDrawable?

This code example shows SVG in Android:

SVG svg = SVGParser.getSVGFromResource(getResources(), R.raw.android);
imageView.setImageDrawable(svg.createPictureDrawable());

Answer 1

The SVGParser functionality you mention is a third party implementation of SVG support for Android.

The major problems with using SVG in Android are:

• SVG files may be very complex and can be very slow to render

• All the third party implementations I have used have had bugs and failed to load or render some SVG files correctly

• Most of the third party implementations have been abandoned and none seem to be actively maintained

I have written more about using SVG files in Android and the available third party libraries in the following article:

https://androidbycode.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/vector-graphics-in-android-part-1-svg/

VectorDrawable supports of subset of SVG format that is designed to ensure it is fast to render. I have written about VectorDrawable and how to convert your existing SVG files to VectorDrawable here.