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Android 16 has formally reached Platform Stability at present with Beta 3! Meaning the API floor is locked, the app-facing behaviors are last, and you may 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 function in serving to Android constantly enhance. The Android 16 developer web site has extra details about the beta, together with learn how to get it onto gadgets and the launch timeline. We’re wanting ahead to listening to what you suppose, and thanks prematurely to 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 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 commonplace, Auracast permits appropriate listening to aids and earbuds to obtain direct audio streams from public venues like airports, concert events, and school rooms. Our Key phrase submit has extra on this know-how.
Define textual content for optimum textual content distinction
Customers with low imaginative and prescient usually have diminished distinction sensitivity, making it difficult to tell apart 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 enormously 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. In case 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.
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 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 selected 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 determine any components 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 <your_package_name>
After rebooting your system, your app’s native community entry is restricted. Check options that 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 required permission. See the developer information for extra info, together with learn 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 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 sport engines prepared!
In case you develop an SDK, library, software, or sport engine, it is much more essential to organize any essential 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 are wanted to totally assist 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 working Android 16 Beta 3. Work by means of all of your app’s flows and search for purposeful or UI points. Overview the habits adjustments to focus your testing. Every launch of Android incorporates platform adjustments that enhance privateness, safety, and general consumer expertise, and these adjustments can have an effect on your apps. Listed here are a number of adjustments to give attention to that apply, even in the event you do not but goal Android 16:
- Broadcasts: Ordered broadcasts utilizing priorities solely work inside the similar course of. Use different IPC in the event you want cross-process ordering.
- ART: In case you use reflection, JNI, or another means to entry Android internals, your app may break. That is by no means a finest observe. Check totally.
- 16KB Web page Dimension: 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 adjustments that might 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 in the event 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. Overview the habits adjustments that apply when your app targets Android 16 and use the compatibility framework to assist shortly 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 fall. This Q2 main launch would be the solely launch in 2025 that features habits adjustments that might have an effect on apps. The This fall minor launch will decide up function updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; like our non-SDK quarterly releases, it is not going to embody 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 gadgets as doable.
There’s no change to the goal API stage necessities and the related dates for apps in Google Play; our plans are for one annual requirement annually, tied to the foremost API stage.
Get began with Android 16
You may enroll any supported Pixel system to get this and future Android Beta updates over-the-air. In case you don’t have a Pixel system, you may use the 64-bit system pictures 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 can be provided an over-the-air replace to Beta 3.
Whereas the API and behaviors are last, 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 likelihood we’ll be capable of tackle it on this or a future launch.
For one of the best improvement expertise with Android 16, we suggest that you simply use the most recent function drop of Android Studio (Meerkat). When you’re arrange, listed here are a number of the issues it’s best to do:
- Compile in opposition to 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 pictures and SDK frequently 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.
