The First Developer Preview of Android 16

Posted by Matthew McCullough – VP of Product Administration, Android Developer

Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is accessible now to check along with your apps. That is the beginning of Android having extra frequent API releases as a part of our effort to drive quicker innovation in apps and gadgets.

Two Android API releases in 2025

• This preview is for the following main launch of Android with a deliberate launch in Q2 of 2025. This launch is just like all of our API releases prior to now, the place we are able to have deliberate conduct modifications which might be usually tied to a targetSdkVersion.
• We’re planning the most important launch 1 / 4 earlier (Q2 quite than Q3 in prior years) to raised align with the schedule of system launches throughout our ecosystem, so extra gadgets can get the most important launch of Android sooner. With the most important launch coming in Q2, you’ll have to do your annual compatibility testing a number of months sooner than in earlier years to ensure your apps are prepared.
• We plan to have one other launch in This fall of 2025 which additionally will embody new developer APIs. The Q2 main launch would be the solely launch in 2025 to incorporate deliberate conduct modifications that might have an effect on apps.

Along with new developer APIs, the This fall minor launch will choose up function updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; it won’t embody any app-impacting conduct modifications.

We’ll proceed to have quarterly Android releases. The Q1 and Q3 updates in-between the API releases will present incremental updates to assist guarantee steady high quality. We’re actively working with our system companions to deliver the Q2 launch to as many gadgets as attainable.

Utilizing new APIs with main and minor releases

Guarding a code block with a verify for Android’s API stage is finished right now utilizing the SDK_INT fixed with VERSION_CODES. This can proceed to be supported for main Android releases.

if (SDK_INT >= VERSION_CODES.BAKLAVA) {
  // Use APIs launched in Android 16
}

The brand new SDK_INT_FULL fixed can be utilized for API checks towards each main and minor variations with the brand new VERSION_CODES_FULL enumeration.

if (SDK_INT_FULL >= VERSION_CODES_FULL.[MAJOR or MINOR RELEASE]) {
  // Use APIs launched in a significant or minor launch
}

You too can use the Construct.getMinorSdkVersion() technique to get simply the minor SDK model.

val minorSdkVersion = Construct.getMinorSdkVersion(VERSION_CODES_FULL.BAKLAVA)

These APIs haven’t but been finalized and are topic to vary, so please ship us suggestions you probably have any considerations.

Notice that there’s no change to the goal API stage necessities and the related dates for apps in Google Play; our plans are for one annual requirement annually, and that might be tied to the most important API stage.

Embedded photograph picker

The photograph picker supplies a secure, built-in manner for customers to grant your app entry to chose photos and movies from each native and cloud storage, as a substitute of their whole media library. Utilizing a mix of Modular System Parts via Google System Updates and Google Play companies, it is supported again to Android 4.4 (API stage 19). Integration requires only a few traces of code with the related Android Jetpack library.

The developer preview contains new APIs that allow apps to embed the photograph picker into their view hierarchy. This enables it to really feel like a extra built-in a part of the app whereas nonetheless leveraging the method isolation that permits customers to pick out media with out the app needing overly-broad permissions. To maximise compatibility throughout platform variations and simplify your integration, you may need to use the forthcoming Android Jetpack library when you want to combine the embedded photograph picker.

Well being data

The developer preview of Well being Join accommodates an early model of APIs supporting well being data. This enables apps to learn and write medical data in FHIR format with specific person consent. This API is at the moment in an early entry program. Signal as much as be a part of our early entry program.

Privateness Sandbox on Android

Android 16 incorporates the most recent model of the Privateness Sandbox on Android, a part of our ongoing work to develop applied sciences the place customers know their privateness is protected. Our web site has extra concerning the Privateness Sandbox on Android developer beta program that will help you get began. Take a look at the SDK Runtime which permits SDKs to run in a devoted runtime atmosphere separate from the app they’re serving, offering stronger safeguards round person information assortment and sharing.

Methods to prepare

Along with performing compatibility testing on the following main launch, just be sure you’re compiling your apps towards the brand new SDK, and use the compatibility framework to allow targetSdkVersion-gated conduct modifications as they develop into out there for early testing.

App compatibility

The Android 16 Preview program runs from November 2024 till the ultimate public launch subsequent 12 months. At key improvement milestones, we’ll ship updates in your improvement and testing environments. Every replace contains SDK instruments, system photos, emulators, API reference, and API diffs. We’ll spotlight important APIs as they’re prepared to check within the preview program in blogs and on the Android 16 developer web site.

We’re concentrating on Late Q1 of 2025 for our Platform Stability milestone. At this milestone, we’ll ship ultimate SDK/NDK APIs and in addition ultimate inner APIs and app-facing system behaviors. We’re anticipating to achieve Platform Stability in March 2025, and from that point you’ll have a number of months earlier than the official launch to do your ultimate testing. Go to our Android Builders website for particulars on the discharge timeline.

Get began with Android 16

You may get began right now with Developer Preview 1 by flashing a system picture and updating the instruments. We’re in search of your suggestions so please report points and submit function requests on the suggestions web page. The sooner we get your suggestions, the extra we are able to embody within the ultimate launch.

For the most effective improvement expertise with Android 16, we advocate that you just use the newest preview of the Android Studio Ladybug function drop. When you’re arrange, listed here are a number of the issues you must do:

• Compile towards the brand new SDK, check in CI environments, and report any points in our tracker on the suggestions web page.
• Check your present app for compatibility, study whether or not your app is affected by modifications in Android 16, and set up your app onto a tool or emulator operating Android 16 and extensively check it.

We’ll replace the preview system photos and SDK often all through the Android 16 launch cycle. This preliminary preview launch is for builders solely and never supposed for each day or client use, so we’re making it out there by guide obtain solely. When you’ve manually put in a preview construct, you’ll mechanically get future updates over-the-air for all later previews and Betas. Go to the Android developer web site for additional info on Android updates.

In the event you’ve already put in Beta 1 from the Android 15 QPR2 Beta program, you won’t be able to maneuver to the Android 16 Developer Preview program with out wiping your system. Think about avoiding putting in future betas to transition to the following developer preview construct and not using a information wipe.

As we attain our Beta releases, we’ll be inviting customers to strive Android 16 as properly, and we’ll open up enrollment for Android 16 within the Android Beta program at the moment.

For full info, go to the Android 16 developer website.