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Android 16 has formally reached Platform Stability right this moment with Beta 3! Meaning the API floor is locked, the app-facing behaviors are ultimate, 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 function in serving to Android constantly enhance. The Android 16 developer web site has extra details about the beta, together with find out how to get it onto gadgets and the launch timeline. We’re trying ahead to listening to what you assume, and thanks prematurely in your continued help make Android a platform that advantages everybody.
New in Android 16 Beta 3
At this late stage within the improvement cycle, there are only some new issues within the Android 16 Beta 3 launch so that you can take into account when creating your apps.
Broadcast audio help
Pixel 9 gadgets on Android 16 Beta now help Auracast broadcast audio with suitable LE Audio listening to aids, a part of Android’s work to reinforce 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, concert events, and lecture rooms. Our Key phrase publish has extra on this know-how.
Define textual content for optimum 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 vastly enhance legibility.
Android 16 additionally accommodates 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 use this to know when define textual content is enabled.
Check 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 provides 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 person’s native community. LNP will ultimately require apps to request a particular permission to entry the native community.
Beta 3: Decide-In and Check
In Beta 3, LNP is an opt-in function. That is your likelihood to check your app and establish any elements that depend on native community entry. Use this adb command to allow LNP restrictions in your app:
adb shell am compat allow RESTRICT_LOCAL_NETWORK <your_package_name>
After rebooting your system, your app’s native community entry is restricted. Check options which may work together with native gadgets (e.g., system 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 find out how to re-enable native community entry.
This can be a vital change, and we’re dedicated to working with you to make sure a clean transition. By testing and offering suggestions now, you’ll be able to assist us construct a extra personal and safe Android ecosystem.
Get your apps, libraries, instruments, and recreation engines prepared!
If you happen to develop an SDK, library, device, or recreation engine, it is much more necessary to organize any mandatory updates now to forestall your downstream app and recreation 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 are wanted to totally help Android 16.
Testing entails 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 by all of your app’s flows and search for practical or UI points. Evaluate the conduct modifications to focus your testing. Every launch of Android accommodates platform modifications that enhance privateness, safety, and total person expertise, and these modifications can have an effect on your apps. Listed here are a number of modifications to deal with that apply, even for those who do not but goal Android 16:
- Broadcasts: Ordered broadcasts utilizing priorities solely work inside the identical course of. Use different IPC for those who want cross-process ordering.
- ART: If you happen to use reflection, JNI, or every other means to entry Android internals, your app may break. That is by no means a finest follow. Check totally.
- 16KB Web page Dimension: In case your app is not 16KB-page-size prepared, you should use the new compatibility mode flag, however we advocate 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. Chances are you’ll must replace to present SDK variations or attain out to the developer for assist for those who 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 conduct 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 fall. This Q2 main launch would be the solely launch in 2025 that features conduct modifications that might have an effect on apps. The This fall 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 conduct 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 extra vitality into working with our system companions to carry the Q2 launch to as many gadgets 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 every year, tied to the key 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. If you happen to don’t have a Pixel system, you’ll be able to use the 64-bit system photographs with the Android Emulator in Android Studio. If you’re at present 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 ultimate, we’re nonetheless searching 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 handle it on this or a future launch.
For one of the best improvement expertise with Android 16, we advocate that you just use the most recent function drop of Android Studio (Meerkat). When you’re arrange, listed below are a few of the issues it’s best to do:
- Compile in opposition to 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 commonly all through the Android 16 launch cycle. When you’ve put in a beta construct, you’ll robotically 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.
