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Android 16 has formally reached Platform Stability at this time 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 recent 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 constantly enhance. The Android 16 developer web site has extra details about the beta, together with how one can get it onto units and the launch timeline. We’re wanting ahead to listening to what you suppose, and thanks prematurely to your continued assist in making Android a platform that advantages everybody.
New in Android 16 Beta 3
At this late stage within the improvement cycle, there are just a few new issues within the Android 16 Beta 3 launch so that you can contemplate when growing your apps.
Broadcast audio help
Pixel 9 units on Android 16 Beta now help Auracast broadcast audio with suitable LE Audio listening to aids, a part of Android’s work to boost audio accessibility. Constructed on the LE Audio customary, Auracast allows suitable listening to aids and earbuds to obtain direct audio streams from public venues like airports, live shows, and school rooms. Our Key phrase put up has extra on this know-how.
Define textual content for max textual content distinction
Customers with low imaginative and prescient typically have diminished 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 pulls a bigger contrasting space round textual content to significantly enhance legibility.
Android 16 additionally comprises 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. When you 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 flexibility to check the Native Community Safety (LNP) characteristic which is deliberate for a future Android main launch. It provides customers extra management over which apps can entry units on their native community.
What’s Altering?
At present, any app with the INTERNET permission can talk with units on the consumer’s native community. LNP will ultimately require apps to request a selected permission to entry the native community.
Beta 3: Decide-In and Take a look at
In Beta 3, LNP is an opt-in characteristic. That is your likelihood to check your app and determine any elements that depend on native community entry. Use this adb command to allow LNP restrictions to your app:
adb shell am compat allow RESTRICT_LOCAL_NETWORK
After rebooting your system, your app’s native community entry is restricted. Take a look at options that may work together with native units (e.g., system discovery, media casting, connecting to IoT units). Count on 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 how one can re-enable native community entry.
This can be a important 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 personal and safe Android ecosystem.
Get your apps, libraries, instruments, and sport engines prepared!
When you develop an SDK, library, software, or sport engine, it is much more essential to organize any needed updates now to stop your downstream app and sport 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 help Android 16.
Testing includes putting in your manufacturing app or a check app making use of your library or engine utilizing Google Play or different means onto a tool or emulator operating Android 16 Beta 3. Work via all of your app’s flows and search for useful or UI points. Evaluate the habits adjustments to focus your testing. Every launch of Android comprises platform adjustments that enhance privateness, safety, and general consumer expertise, and these adjustments can have an effect on your apps. Listed below are a number of adjustments to deal with that apply, even if you happen to do not but goal Android 16:
- Broadcasts: Ordered broadcasts utilizing priorities solely work throughout the identical course of. Use different IPC if you happen to want cross-process ordering.
- ART: When you use reflection, JNI, or every other means to entry Android internals, your app may 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 should utilize the 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:
Keep in mind to totally train libraries and SDKs that your app is utilizing throughout your compatibility testing. You might must replace to present SDK variations or attain out to the developer for assist if you happen to 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. Evaluate the habits adjustments 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 subsequent 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 adjustments that would have an effect on apps. The This autumn minor launch will decide up characteristic updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; like our non-SDK quarterly releases, it won’t embrace any intentional app-breaking habits adjustments.
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 system companions to carry the Q2 launch to as many units as doable.
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 annually, tied to the most important API degree.
Get began with Android 16
You possibly can enroll any supported Pixel system to get this and future Android Beta updates over-the-air. When you don’t have a Pixel system, you may use the 64-bit system photographs with the Android Emulator in Android Studio. If you’re presently on Android 16 Beta 2 or are already within the Android Beta program, you’ll be provided an over-the-air replace to Beta 3.
Whereas the API and behaviors are remaining, we’re nonetheless on the lookout for your suggestions so please report points on the suggestions web page. The sooner we get your suggestions, the higher likelihood we’ll be capable to tackle it on this or a future launch.
For one of the best improvement expertise with Android 16, we suggest that you just use the newest characteristic drop of Android Studio (Meerkat). When you’re arrange, listed below are a few 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.
We’ll replace the beta system photographs and SDK often all through the Android 16 launch cycle. When you’ve put in a beta construct, you’ll routinely 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 web site.
