Android's public Beta program that gives you everything you need to get your apps ready for the next version of Android.
- Hardware and emulator system images - A runtime environment to test your apps on the next version of Android, for Pixel devices and the Android Emulator.
- Latest platform code and APIs - We'll provide regular updates, so you'll be testing against the latest platform code.
- New behaviors and capabilities - Pinpoint the behavior changes that will affect your apps, and build with the latest platform capabilities.
- Feedback and support - Your feedback is critical! Report issues and let us know what you think! Connect with other developers in the [Developer Community][community] to share your experiences.
Milestones and updates
The Android Beta program for developers runs for several months before each major and minor release. During that time, we'll provide Beta updates for your development and testing environments, with SDK tools, system images, emulators, API reference, and API diffs. See the following table to learn more about what you should focus on during each milestone.
| Milestone | Type | Developer actions |
|---|---|---|
| Beta 1 | Initial beta-quality release, over-the-air update to developers and early adopters who enroll in Android Beta. |
|
| Later Beta releases | Incremental Beta-quality release |
|
| Platform Stability | ||
| Platform stability | First Platform Stability milestone includes final APIs and behaviors. Play publishing also opens. |
|
| Final release | Platform release to AOSP and ecosystem. |
|
Android release phases
Each phase of the Android’s Beta program helps you prepare your apps for the stable release to AOSP and the Android ecosystem.
Beta releases
Beta 1 gives you a more complete and stable environment for building and testing on the next platform release, and it's the first build that we deliver to early adopters who are enrolled in the Android Beta program. During the Beta releases period, early adopters will be using your app on Pixel devices, so we recommend watching for feedback from those users and releasing compatible updates to address any issues, without changing the app's targeting. For major releases, it’s also a good time to begin preparing for changing your app's targeting later. Please give us your feedback during this time, to let us know of any issues or requests.
Platform stability milestone
Android releases include a milestone called Platform Stability to help you plan your final testing and releases. This milestone means that the platform has reached final internal and external APIs, final app-facing behaviors, and final non-SDK API lists. After Platform Stability, you can expect no further changes affecting your apps. This is the time to begin final testing and development work needed to ensure that a compatible version of your app will be ready for users at the final release to the ecosystem. For major releases, Android will provide a standard API level at this time.
We encourage all app, game, SDK, library, and game engine developers to use the Platform Stability milestone as a target for planning final compatibility testing and public release. Using Platform Stability instead of final release gives you several additional weeks before consumers can receive the new platform on their devices.
From Platform Stability, you'll also be able to publish apps to devices running the Android platform at the official API level. We recommend publishing into the Google Play alpha and beta tracks first so that you can test your apps before distributing broadly through the store.
Final release
The stable version of the Android platform is released to AOSP and the greater Android ecosystem. You should expect that some of your users will update to the Android platform at this time or shortly thereafter as device manufacturers start to release updates for their users. Be prepared for new issues that might be reported as the number of users on the latest version of Android increases.
What's included in Beta releases?
The Beta program includes everything you need to test your existing apps on a variety of screen sizes, network technologies, CPU and GPU chipsets, and hardware architectures.
SDK & tools
Using Android Studio, you can download the following components through the SDK Manager:
- SDK and tools for the Beta release
- Emulator system images for mobile devices (64-bit only)
We'll provide updates to these development tools at each milestone as needed.
System images
We provide system images for a variety of Google Pixel devices that you can use for developing and testing. Visit the Downloads page for the release to get a system image for development and testing.
If you don't have a Pixel device, you can still develop and test using other methods, depending on your workflow:
- Emulator system images for mobile devices (64-bit only)
- Generic system images (GSIs)
OTA updates for Pixel through the Android Beta program
If you have a supported Pixel device, you can enroll the device in the Android Beta for Pixel program to get updates to the Android platform Beta over-the-air (OTA).
To learn more and enroll, visit g.co/androidbeta.
Beta APIs and publishing
The early Beta builds initially provide a development-only system and Android library that doesn't have a standard API level. If you want to target the new platform and build with the new APIs during this time, you must target the Beta version by updating your app's build configuration.
The preview APIs won't be official until the final SDK is released at Platform Stability. This means that you should expect API changes during the Beta, especially during the initial weeks of the program. We'll provide a summary of changes with each release.
Later in the preview, developer APIs will be finalized and you'll be able to download the official SDK into Android Studio and compile against the official APIs.
Until the Platform Stability milestone, Google Play prevents publishing of apps that target a preview API level or the future official API level. When the final SDK is available, you can then target the official API level and publish your app to Google Play using the alpha, beta, and production release channels. Meanwhile, if you want to distribute an app to testers that targets the next API level, you can do so through email or by direct download from your site at any time.
API Reference and diff report
The platform reference documentationalways shows the most recent platform preview, beta, or final release. While new APIs are under development, they'll be watermarked for visibility and show the preview codename as the API level. Note that you can only use these APIs if you are building with the preview SDK.
When the final SDK is available, the API reference will show that the new APIs were added in the official API level.
Support resources
As you test and develop with Android Beta builds, use these channels to report issues and give feedback:
- Visit the Feedback and issues page for complete information on how to report issues and let us know what you think. From the page, you can go to the issue tracker to file bugs or feature requests, and you can take quick surveys on some of the new features and changes.
- Android Preview issue tracker is our primary issue tracker. You can report bugs, performance issues, and general feedback through the issue tracker. You can also check for known issues and find workaround steps. We'll keep you updated on your issue as it's triaged and sent to the Android engineering team for review.
- The [Android Developer Community][community] is a community where you can connect with other users and developers who are working with the Android 16 preview builds. You can share observations and ideas and find answers to questions there.
[community]: /about/versions/16/qpr2/dev-community