Android string arrays and localization

I really wish the Android developer guide would not (at least implicitly) recommend using localizable strings directly as array items.

In my opinion, any examples showing translatable strings as array items should in fact be accompanied by flashing red warning signs. Here’s why:

If the default version of a string array is updated with the addition of an array item, but the localized version has not been updated yet (very common scenario), then the menu item in question would simply be missing from the localized version (no fallback to the default version, since the string array represents the whole array). This can potentially result in serious functional issues in the localized versions of the software.

Instead, the examples should show array items as references to resources.