# Flutter Versions: Should You Upgrade If You Can?

**Yes, absolutely.** If your project's dependencies allow for an SDK upgrade without breaking the build, you should always stay as current as possible. 

The benefits are heavily weighted toward upgrading. Newer Flutter and Dart versions include major rendering engine upgrades (like Impeller) and compilation targets (like WebAssembly) that make your app physically faster and smoother without you changing a single line of code. Furthermore, delaying an upgrade creates massive technical debt. Jumping from 3.3 to 3.4 is painless; jumping from an abandoned 2.19 to 3.10 can take weeks of painful refactoring. **If you can upgrade, do it.**

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## Dart & Flutter Version History, Impact & Package Minimums

Here is the updated table combining the timeline, the impact of the release, and real-world examples of major packages that use that specific version as their absolute floor.

| Version  | Release Date | Key Feature / Major Addition                        | Impact & Focus                   | Packages Requiring This Minimum |
| :------- | :----------- | :-------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------- | :------------------------------ |
| **3.0**  | May 10, 2023 | 100% sound null safety required, records, patterns. | Forced ecosystem modernization   | `provider`, `go_router`, `dio`  |
| **3.1**  | Aug 16, 2023 | `NativeCallable.listener` for C FFI.                | Smoother native C-bindings       | `url_launcher`                  |
| **3.2**  | Nov 15, 2023 | Non-null type promotion for private final fields.   | Less boilerplate null-checking   | `uuid`, `connectivity_plus`     |
| **3.3**  | Feb 15, 2024 | Extension types and revamped JS interop.            | Zero-cost wrapper objects        | `drift`, `saropa_drift_advisor` |
| **3.4**  | May 14, 2024 | Wasm compilation and experimental macros.           | Faster web app load times        | `image_picker`                  |
| **3.5**  | Aug 6, 2024  | Stable Web/JS interop (required for Wasm).          | Full Wasm readiness              | `firebase_core`                 |
| **3.6**  | Dec 11, 2024 | Digit separators (`1_000`) and pub workspaces.      | Lower IDE memory usage           | `sqflite`                       |
| **3.7**  | Feb 12, 2025 | Wildcard variables (`_`) and new formatter style.   | Cleaner code & strict formatting | **`riverpod`**                  |
| **3.8**  | May 20, 2025 | Null-aware collection elements.                     | Safer, cleaner UI collections    | `freezed`                       |
| **3.9**  | Aug 13, 2025 | Null safety assumed for reachability.               | Stricter dependency resolution   | **`shared_preferences`**        |
| **3.10** | Nov 12, 2025 | Dot shorthands for enums and statics.               | Faster typing for UI widgets     | `flutter_animate`               |
| **3.11** | Feb 11, 2026 | Purely focused on IDE support and analyzer fixes.   | Improved code completion         | *(Most haven't bumped yet)*     |
