Android 16 is launched and obtainable on supported Pixel units, with new units to comply with. The supply code is obtainable on the Android Open Supply Challenge.
Key updates embody:
- Enhanced digital camera and media APIs for professional customers, with night time mode scene detection, hybrid auto publicity and exact coloration temperature changes. Improved UltraHDR picture assist with HEIC encoding and an embedded picture picker.
- Apps concentrating on Android 16 can not opt-out of going edge-to-edge
- Modifications to how the system manages orientation, resizability, and side ratio restrictions.
- System animations for back-to-home, cross-task, and cross-activity by default. As well as, this launch extends predictive again navigation to three-button navigation, that means that customers long-pressing the again button will see a glimpse of the earlier display earlier than navigating again.
- Progress model notifications which helps you to create progress-centric notifications that may denote states and milestones in a person journey utilizing factors and segments.
- RuntimeColorFilter and RuntimeXfermode, permitting you to writer complicated results like Threshold, Sepia, and Hue Saturation in AGSL and apply them to attract calls.
At Google I/O 2025, a number of developments had been introduced for Android, together with the rollout of Android 16, a Developer Preview for enhanced Android desktop experiences, and updates for Android customers throughout Google apps.
Key bulletins for builders:
- Adaptive apps: Construct a single, adaptive utility that capabilities throughout numerous type elements utilizing Jetpack Compose Adaptive Libraries, Navigation 3 library, and updates to the Window Supervisor Library in AndroidX.window 1.5.
- Efficiency Optimization: Use the redesigned UiAutomator API for benchmarking, macrobenchmarks and App Startup Insights to enhance app efficiency, and leverage R8 for troubleshooting and efficiency optimization.
- Enhanced Media Experiences: Use CameraX and Media3Effects for capturing high-quality video and Google Low-Mild Increase for real-time digital camera brightness adjustment in low gentle. Discover new digital camera and media samples.
With the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 launch, now you can entry related shows assist on suitable Android units. By connecting an exterior show to your Android machine, you’ll be able to remodel it right into a workstation. This offers customers the flexibility to maneuver apps past a single display to unlock Android’s full productiveness potential on exterior shows.
Desktop windowing is now steady as effectively. We’ve made enhancements within the stability and efficiency of desktop windowing in Android 16 and added some new options:
- Versatile window tiling: Customers can extra simply prepare a number of app home windows aspect by aspect or in numerous configurations, making it easier to work throughout completely different purposes concurrently on a big display.
- A number of desktops: Customers can arrange a number of desktop classes to match their distinct productiveness necessities and change between the desktops utilizing keyboard shortcuts, trackpad gestures, and Overview.
- Enhanced app compatibility remedies: New compatibility remedies be sure that even legacy apps behave extra predictably and look higher on exterior shows by default.
- Multi-instance administration: Customers can handle a number of cases of supporting purposes (for instance, Chrome or, Preserve) by way of the app header button or taskbar context menu.
- Desktop persistence: Android can now higher keep window sizes, positions, and states throughout completely different desktops.
You possibly can check out these options at this time in your related show with the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 on choose Pixel units.
In Android 16, adaptive apps are important to supply a constant person expertise throughout numerous units. Product managers ought to prioritize adaptive design to your apps to satisfy person expectations on foldables, tablets, Chromebooks, and different type elements.
By constructing adaptive apps, you’ll be able to enhance person engagement, enhance app discoverability on Google Play, and guarantee accessibility for customers with disabilities. You can begin by checking how your app presently seems to be on giant screens, addressing frequent UI points, and incrementally optimizing your app display by display.
Now we have a couple of new testing movies so that you can try!
Automated testing is essential for scalable and environment friendly high quality assurance as apps develop in complexity. Nevertheless, the normal testing pyramid may not be the perfect strategy. Be taught extra about utilizing a method that considers each the scope (take a look at measurement) and the dimensions (code executed) of various take a look at classes: launch candidate, utility, characteristic, element, and unit exams. This helps guarantee dependable outcomes and quicker execution instances.
Android app builders ought to embrace automated testing (unit, smoke, airtight, screenshot) to exchange time-consuming and error-prone handbook testing. Be taught extra about how automation improves app high quality, gives quick suggestions, catches bugs, and prevents characteristic regressions, finally growing developer productiveness and releasing up time for essential duties.
Android app builders ought to pay attention to the instruments and patterns utilized in scalable app testing: Be taught extra about utilizing screenshot exams, robolectric, machine emulation, administration for flaky exams, and gradle managed units on this video.
Right here’s a abstract of the AndroidX adjustments, prioritized for app builders:
- New PhotoPicker Library: This can be a main addition, offering a simple option to combine with the system’s embedded picture picker. It contains each View-based and Compose-based parts, together with utilities for state administration and testing. This simplifies picture choice for customers and improves the person expertise.
- Lifecycle ViewModel Navigation3 Integration: This new library provides higher integration between ViewModels and the Navigation3 library. The important thing element is
ViewModelStoreNavEntryDecorator, which ensures everyNavEntryhas its personalViewModelStoreOwner. This helps to correctly scope and handle ViewModels inside your navigation graph, particularly when utilizing config adjustments. - Emoji2 Library Replace: The replace to emoji2 contains updates to emoji 16.0 and makes use of JSpecify nullness annotations which require Kotlin builders to make use of particular compiler arguments to implement appropriate utilization:
-Xjspecify-annotations=strict,-Xtype-enhancement-improvements-strict-mode.
That’s it for this week’s episode, with Android 16, Desktop Experiences, Adaptive Apps, Testing, AndroidX and extra!
Examine again quickly to your subsequent replace from the Android developer universe!