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Android 16 has formally reached Platform Stability as we speak with Beta 3! Which means the API floor is locked, the app-facing behaviors are remaining, and you’ll push your Android 16-targeted apps to the Play retailer proper now. Learn on for protection of latest safety and accessibility options in Beta 3.
Android delivers enhancements and new options year-round, and your suggestions on the Android beta program performs a key position in serving to Android repeatedly enhance. The Android 16 developer website has extra details about the beta, together with the right way to get it onto gadgets and the launch timeline. We’re wanting ahead to listening to what you suppose, and thanks prematurely on your continued help make Android a platform that advantages everybody.
New in Android 16 Beta 3
At this late stage within the growth cycle, there are just a few new issues within the Android 16 Beta 3 launch so that you can contemplate when creating your apps.
Broadcast audio assist
Pixel 9 gadgets on Android 16 Beta now assist Auracast broadcast audio with appropriate LE Audio listening to aids, a part of Android’s work to boost audio accessibility. Constructed on the LE Audio normal, Auracast allows appropriate listening to aids and earbuds to obtain direct audio streams from public venues like airports, live shows, and lecture rooms. Our Key phrase submit has extra on this know-how.
Define textual content for max textual content distinction
Customers with low imaginative and prescient typically have lowered distinction sensitivity, making it difficult to differentiate objects from their backgrounds. To assist these customers, Android 16 Beta 3 introduces define textual content, changing excessive distinction textual content, which attracts a bigger contrasting space round textual content to significantly enhance legibility.
Android 16 additionally incorporates new AccessibilityManager APIs to permit your apps to verify or register a listener to see if this mode is enabled. That is primarily for UI Toolkits like Compose to supply an identical visible expertise. If you happen to keep a UI Toolkit library or your app performs customized textual content rendering that bypasses the android.textual content.Format class then you should utilize this to know when define textual content is enabled.
Take a look at your app with Native Community Safety
Android 16 Beta 3 provides the power to check the Native Community Safety (LNP) function which is deliberate for a future Android main launch. It offers customers extra management over which apps can entry gadgets on their native community.
What’s Altering?
At present, any app with the INTERNET permission can talk with gadgets on the consumer’s native community. LNP will ultimately require apps to request a particular permission to entry the native community.
Beta 3: Choose-In and Take a look at
In Beta 3, LNP is an opt-in function. That is your probability to check your app and establish any elements that depend on native community entry. Use this adb command to allow LNP restrictions on your app:
adb shell am compat allow RESTRICT_LOCAL_NETWORK
After rebooting your gadget, your app’s native community entry is restricted. Take a look at options which may work together with native gadgets (e.g., gadget discovery, media casting, connecting to IoT gadgets). Anticipate to see socket errors like EPERM or ECONNABORTED in case your app tries to entry the native community with out the mandatory permission. See the developer information for extra info, together with the right way to re-enable native community entry.
It is a vital change, and we’re dedicated to working with you to make sure a easy transition. By testing and offering suggestions now, you may assist us construct a extra non-public and safe Android ecosystem.
Get your apps, libraries, instruments, and recreation engines prepared!
If you happen to develop an SDK, library, software, or recreation engine, it is much more vital to organize any obligatory updates now to stop your downstream app and recreation builders from being blocked by compatibility points and permit them to focus on the newest SDK options. Please let your builders know if updates are wanted to completely assist Android 16.
Testing entails 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 working Android 16 Beta 3. Work by way of all of your app’s flows and search for useful or UI points. Assessment the habits modifications to focus your testing. Every launch of Android incorporates platform modifications that enhance privateness, safety, and total consumer expertise, and these modifications can have an effect on your apps. Listed below are a number of modifications to give attention to that apply, even should you do not but goal Android 16:
- Broadcasts: Ordered broadcasts utilizing priorities solely work inside the similar course of. Use different IPC should you want cross-process ordering.
- ART: If you happen to use reflection, JNI, or some other means to entry Android internals, your app would possibly break. That is by no means a finest follow. Take a look at totally.
- 16KB Web page Measurement: In case your app is not 16KB-page-size prepared, you should utilize the new compatibility mode flag, however we suggest migrating to 16KB for finest efficiency.
Different modifications that will likely be impactful as soon as your app targets Android 16:
Keep in mind to totally train libraries and SDKs that your app is utilizing throughout your compatibility testing. It’s possible you’ll must replace to present SDK variations or attain out to the developer for assist should you encounter any points.
When you’ve revealed the Android 16-compatible model of your app, you can begin the method to replace your app’s targetSdkVersion. Assessment the habits modifications that apply when your app targets Android 16 and use the compatibility framework to assist rapidly detect points.
Two Android API releases in 2025
This preview is for the following main launch of Android with a deliberate launch in Q2 of 2025 and we plan to have one other launch with new developer APIs in This autumn. This Q2 main launch would be the solely launch in 2025 that features habits modifications that might have an effect on apps. The This autumn minor launch will choose up function updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; like our non-SDK quarterly releases, it won’t embody any intentional app-breaking habits modifications.
We’ll proceed to have quarterly Android releases. The Q1 and Q3 updates present incremental updates to make sure steady high quality. We’re placing further power into working with our gadget companions to convey the Q2 launch to as many gadgets as attainable.
There’s no change to the goal API degree necessities and the related dates for apps in Google Play; our plans are for one annual requirement every year, tied to the key API degree.
Get began with Android 16
You’ll be able to enroll any supported Pixel gadget to get this and future Android Beta updates over-the-air. If you happen to don’t have a Pixel gadget, you may use the 64-bit system photos with the Android Emulator in Android Studio. In case you are at present on Android 16 Beta 2 or are already within the Android Beta program, you can be provided an over-the-air replace to Beta 3.
Whereas the API and behaviors are remaining, we’re nonetheless in search of your suggestions so please report points on the suggestions web page. The sooner we get your suggestions, the higher probability we’ll have the ability to handle it on this or a future launch.
For the perfect growth expertise with Android 16, we suggest that you just use the newest function drop of Android Studio (Meerkat). When you’re arrange, listed below are a few of the issues you need to do:
- Compile towards the brand new SDK, take a look at in CI environments, and report any points in our tracker on the suggestions web page.
We’ll replace the beta system photos and SDK commonly all through the Android 16 launch cycle. When you’ve put in a beta construct, you’ll mechanically get future updates over-the-air for all later previews and Betas.
For full info on Android 16 please go to the Android 16 developer website.