Posted by Matthew McCullough – VP of Product Administration, Android Developer
At the moment, Android is launching just a few updates throughout the platform! This contains the beginning of Android 16’s rollout with particulars for each builders and customers, a Developer Preview for enhanced Android desktop experiences with linked shows, updates for Android customers throughout Google apps and extra, plus the June Pixel Drop. We’re additionally recapping all of the Google I/O updates for Android builders targeted on constructing glorious, adaptive Android apps.
At the moment we’re releasing Android 16 and making it out there on most supported Pixel gadgets. Search for new gadgets operating Android 16 within the coming months.
This additionally marks the supply of the supply code on the Android Open Supply Undertaking (AOSP). You may look at the supply code for a deeper understanding of how Android works, and our deal with compatibility means you can leverage your app improvement expertise in Android Studio with Jetpack Compose to create functions that thrive throughout the whole ecosystem.
Main and minor SDK releases
With Android 16, we have added the idea of a minor SDK launch to permit us to iterate our APIs extra rapidly, reflecting the speedy tempo of the innovation Android is bringing to apps and gadgets.
We plan to have one other launch in This fall of 2025 which additionally will embody new developer APIs. At the moment’s main launch would be the solely launch in 2025 to incorporate deliberate app-impacting conduct adjustments.
Along with new developer APIs, the This fall minor launch will choose up characteristic updates, optimizations, and bug fixes.
We’ll proceed to have quarterly Android releases. The Q3 replace in-between the API releases is offering a lot of the brand new visible polish related to Materials Expressive, and you may get the Q3 beta right this moment in your supported Pixel system.
Digicam and media APIs to empower creators
Android 16 enhances help for skilled digital camera customers, permitting for night time mode scene detection, hybrid auto publicity, and exact shade temperature changes. It is simpler than ever to seize movement images with new Intent actions, and we’re persevering with to enhance UltraHDR pictures, with help for HEIC encoding and new parameters from the ISO 21496-1 draft customary. Assist for the Superior Skilled Video (APV) codec improves Android’s place in skilled recording and post-production workflows, with perceptually lossless video high quality that survives a number of decodings/re-encodings with out extreme visible high quality degradation.
Additionally, Android’s picture picker can now be embedded in your view hierarchy, and customers will recognize the flexibility to look cloud media.
Extra constant, lovely apps
Android 16 introduces adjustments to enhance the consistency and visible look of apps, laying the inspiration for the upcoming Materials 3 Expressive adjustments. Apps concentrating on Android 16 can not opt-out of going edge-to-edge, and ignores the elegantTextHeight attribute to make sure correct spacing in Arabic, Lao, Myanmar, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Telugu or Thai.
Adaptive Android apps
With Android apps now operating on quite a lot of gadgets and extra windowing modes on massive screens, builders ought to construct Android apps that adapt to any display screen and window dimension, no matter system orientation. For apps concentrating on Android 16 (API degree 36), Android 16 contains adjustments to how the system manages orientation, resizability, and facet ratio restrictions. On shows with smallest width >= 600dp, the restrictions not apply and apps will fill the whole show window. You need to verify your apps to make sure your present UIs scale seamlessly, working effectively throughout portrait and panorama facet ratios. We’re offering frameworks, instruments, and libraries to assist.
You may take a look at these overrides with out concentrating on utilizing the app compatibility framework by enabling the UNIVERSAL_RESIZABLE_BY_DEFAULT flag. Learn extra about adjustments to orientation and resizability APIs in Android 16.
Predictive again by default and extra
Apps concentrating on Android 16 could have system animations for back-to-home, cross-task, and cross-activity by default. As well as, Android 16 extends predictive again navigation to three-button navigation, which means that customers long-pressing the again button will see a glimpse of the earlier display screen earlier than navigating again.
To make it simpler to get the back-to-home animation, Android 16 provides help for the onBackInvokedCallback with the brand new PRIORITY_SYSTEM_NAVIGATION_OBSERVER. Android 16 moreover provides the finishAndRemoveTaskCallback and moveTaskToBackCallback for customized again stack conduct with predictive again.
Constant progress notifications
Android 16 introduces Notification.ProgressStyle, which helps you to create progress-centric notifications that may denote states and milestones in a person journey utilizing factors and segments. Key use instances embody rideshare, supply, and navigation. It is the premise for Dwell Updates, which can be absolutely realized in an upcoming Android 16 replace.
Customized AGSL graphical results
Android 16 provides RuntimeColorFilter and RuntimeXfermode, permitting you to creator advanced results like Threshold, Sepia, and Hue Saturation in AGSL and apply them to attract calls.
Assist to create higher performing, extra environment friendly apps and video games
From APIs that will help you perceive app efficiency, to platform adjustments designed to extend effectivity, Android 16 is concentrated on ensuring your apps carry out effectively. Android 16 introduces system-triggered profiling to ProfilingManager, ensures at most one missed execution of scheduleAtFixedRate is instantly executed when the app returns to a sound lifecycle for higher effectivity, introduces hasArrSupport and getSuggestedFrameRate(int) to make it simpler in your apps to reap the benefits of adaptive show refresh charges, and introduces the getCpuHeadroom and getGpuHeadroom APIs together with CpuHeadroomParams and GpuHeadroomParams in SystemHealthManager to offer video games and resource-intensive apps estimates of accessible GPU and CPU sources on supported gadgets.
JobScheduler updates
JobScheduler.getPendingJobReasons in Android 16 returns a number of the reason why a job is pending, on account of each specific constraints you set and implicit constraints set by the system. The brand new JobScheduler.getPendingJobReasonsHistory returns the record of the newest pending job purpose adjustments, permitting you to higher tune the way in which your app works within the background.
Android 16 is making changes for normal and expedited job runtime quota primarily based on which apps standby bucket the app is in, whether or not the job begins execution whereas the app is in a prime state, and whether or not the job is executing whereas the app is operating a Foreground Service.
To detect (after which scale back) deserted jobs, apps ought to use the brand new STOP_REASON_TIMEOUT_ABANDONED job cease purpose that the system assigns for deserted jobs, as an alternative of STOP_REASON_TIMEOUT.
16KB web page sizes
Android 15 launched help for 16KB web page sizes to enhance the efficiency of app launches, system boot-ups, and digital camera begins, whereas lowering battery utilization. Android 16 provides a 16 KB web page dimension compatibility mode, which, mixed with new Google Play technical necessities, brings Android nearer to having gadgets transport with this necessary change. You may validate in case your app wants updating utilizing the 16KB web page dimension checks & APK Analyzer within the newest model of Android Studio.
ART inner adjustments
Android 16 contains the most recent updates to the Android Runtime (ART) that enhance the Android Runtime’s (ART’s) efficiency and supply help for added language options. These enhancements are additionally out there to over a billion gadgets operating Android 12 (API degree 31) and better by Google Play System updates. Apps and libraries that depend on inner non-SDK ART constructions could not proceed to work appropriately with these adjustments.
Privateness and safety
Android 16 continues our mission to enhance safety and guarantee person privateness. It contains Improved safety in opposition to Intent redirection assaults, makes MediaStore.getVersion distinctive to every app, provides an API that enables apps to share Android Keystore keys, incorporates the most recent model of the Privateness Sandbox on Android, introduces a brand new conduct throughout the companion system pairing movement to guard the person’s location privateness, and permits a person to simply choose from and restrict entry to app-owned shared media within the picture picker.
Native community permission testing
Android 16 permits your app to check the upcoming native community permission characteristic, which would require your app to be granted NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES permission. This variation can be enforced in a future Android main launch.
An Android constructed for everybody
Android 16 provides options corresponding to Auracast broadcast audio with suitable LE Audio listening to aids, Accessibility adjustments corresponding to extending TtsSpan with TYPE_DURATION, a brand new list-based API inside AccessibilityNodeInfo, improved help for expandable parts utilizing setExpandedState, RANGE_TYPE_INDETERMINATE for indeterminate ProgressBar widgets, AccessibilityNodeInfo getChecked and setChecked(int) strategies that help a “partially checked” state, setSupplementalDescription so you’ll be able to present textual content for a ViewGroup with out overriding info from its kids, and setFieldRequired so apps can inform an accessibility service that enter to a kind subject is required.
Define textual content for max textual content distinction
Android 16 introduces define textual content, changing excessive distinction textual content, which attracts a bigger contrasting space round textual content to significantly enhance legibility, together with new AccessibilityManager APIs to permit your apps to verify or register a listener to see if this mode is enabled.
Get your apps, libraries, instruments, and sport engines prepared!
In the event you develop an SDK, library, instrument, or sport engine, it is much more necessary to organize any mandatory updates now to stop your downstream app and sport builders from being blocked by compatibility points and permit them to focus on the most recent SDK options. Please let your builders know if updates to your SDK are wanted to totally help Android 16.
Testing includes putting in your manufacturing app or a take a look at app making use of your library or engine utilizing Google Play or different means onto a tool or emulator operating Android 16. Work by all of your app’s flows and search for useful or UI points. Evaluate the conduct adjustments to focus your testing. Every launch of Android comprises platform adjustments that enhance privateness, safety, and total person expertise, and these adjustments can have an effect on your apps. Listed here are a number of adjustments to deal with that apply, even when you aren’t but concentrating on Android 16:
- Broadcasts: Ordered broadcasts utilizing priorities solely work inside the similar course of. Use one other IPC when you want cross-process ordering.
- ART: In the event you use reflection, JNI, or another means to entry Android internals, your app would possibly break. That is by no means a greatest observe. Take a look at totally.
- 16KB Web page Measurement: In case your app is not 16KB-page-size prepared, you need to use the brand new compatibility mode flag, however we suggest migrating to 16KB for greatest efficiency.
Different adjustments that can be impactful as soon as your app targets Android 16:
Get your app prepared for the longer term:
- Native community safety: Think about testing your app with the upcoming Native Community Safety characteristic. It should give customers extra management over which apps can entry gadgets on their native community in a future Android main launch.
Keep in mind to totally train libraries and SDKs that your app is utilizing throughout your compatibility testing. Chances are you’ll must replace to present SDK variations or attain out to the developer for assist when you encounter any points.
When you’ve printed the Android 16-compatible model of your app, you can begin the method to replace your app’s targetSdkVersion. Evaluate the conduct adjustments that apply when your app targets Android 16 and use the compatibility framework to assist rapidly detect points.
Get began with Android 16
Your Pixel system ought to get Android 16 shortly if you have not already been on the Android Beta. In the event you don’t have a Pixel system, you’ll be able to use the 64-bit system pictures with the Android Emulator in Android Studio. In case you are at present on Android 16 Beta 4.1 and haven’t but taken an Android 16 QPR1 beta, you’ll be able to decide out of this system and you’ll then be supplied the discharge model of Android 16 over the air.
For the very best improvement expertise with Android 16, we suggest that you just use the most recent Canary construct of Android Studio Narwhal. When you’re arrange, listed here are a number of the issues you must do:
Thanks once more to everybody who participated in our Android developer preview and beta program. We’re trying ahead to seeing how your apps reap the benefits of the updates in Android 16, and have plans to carry you updates in a fast-paced launch cadence going ahead.
For full info on Android 16 please go to the Android 16 developer website.