Posted by
Android 16 has formally reached Platform Stability right this moment with Beta 3! Meaning the API floor is locked, the app-facing behaviors are closing, 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 constantly enhance. The Android 16 developer web site has extra details about the beta, together with the best way to get it onto gadgets and the launch timeline. We’re wanting ahead to listening to what you suppose, and thanks prematurely in your continued assist in making Android a platform that advantages everybody.
New in Android 16 Beta 3
At this late stage within the growth 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 appropriate LE Audio listening to aids, a part of Android’s work to boost audio accessibility. Constructed on the LE Audio commonplace, Auracast allows appropriate listening to aids and earbuds to obtain direct audio streams from public venues like airports, concert events, and lecture 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 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 pulls a bigger contrasting space round textual content to vastly enhance legibility.
Android 16 additionally accommodates new AccessibilityManager APIs to permit your apps to test or register a listener to see if this mode is enabled. That is primarily for UI Toolkits like Compose to supply an analogous visible expertise. In the event you preserve a UI Toolkit library or your app performs customized textual content rendering that bypasses the android.textual content.Format class then you need to use 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) 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 selected 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 in 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 which may work together with native gadgets (e.g., system discovery, media casting, connecting to IoT gadgets). 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 data, together with the best way to re-enable native community entry.
It is 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 non-public and safe Android ecosystem.
Get your apps, libraries, instruments, and sport engines prepared!
In the event you develop an SDK, library, software, or sport engine, it is much more essential to organize any vital updates now to forestall 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 help 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 operating Android 16 Beta 3. Work by way of all of your app’s flows and search for purposeful or UI points. Assessment the habits adjustments to focus your testing. Every launch of Android accommodates platform adjustments that enhance privateness, safety, and general person expertise, and these adjustments can have an effect on your apps. Listed here are a number of adjustments to concentrate on that apply, even in the event you do not but goal Android 16:
- Broadcasts: Ordered broadcasts utilizing priorities solely work throughout the identical course of. Use different IPC in the event you want cross-process ordering.
- ART: In the event you use reflection, JNI, or every other means to entry Android internals, your app may break. That is by no means a greatest apply. Take a look at completely.
- 16KB Web page Dimension: In case your app is not 16KB-page-size prepared, you need to use 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:
Bear in mind to completely train libraries and SDKs that your app is utilizing throughout your compatibility testing. It’s possible you’ll have to replace to present SDK variations or attain out to the developer for assist in the event you encounter any points.
When you’ve printed the Android 16-compatible model of your app, you can begin the method to replace your app’s targetSdkVersion. Assessment 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 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 adjustments that might have an effect on apps. The This autumn minor launch will decide up function updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; like our non-SDK quarterly releases, it won’t 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 vitality into working with our system companions to convey 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 every year, 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 the event you don’t have a Pixel system, you may use the 64-bit system photographs with the Android Emulator in Android Studio. In case you are at the moment 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 closing, 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 probability we’ll be capable to tackle it on this or a future launch.
For the most effective growth expertise with Android 16, we suggest that you just use the most recent function drop of Android Studio (Meerkat). When you’re arrange, listed below are among 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 photographs and SDK recurrently 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 data on Android 16 please go to the Android 16 developer web site.
