Android Studio Release Notes

Android Studio is the official IDE for Android development, and includes everything you need to develop Android apps in a single download. Download Android Studio here and get started by reading Meet Android Studio.

Periodic updates are pushed to Android Studio without requiring you to update your Android project. To manually check for updates, select Help > Check for update (on Mac, select Android Studio > Check for updates).

The sections below provide notes about successive releases of Android Studio, as denoted by revision number.

Android Studio v2.3.0 (March 2017)

Android Studio 2.3.0 is primarily a bug fix and stability release, but it also includes a number of new features.

New

• Android Studio can now convert PNG, BMP, JPG, and static GIF files to WebP format. WebP is an image file format from Google that provides lossy compression (like JPEG) as well as transparency (like PNG) but can provide better compression than either JPEG or PNG. For more information, see Convert Images to WebP in Android Studio.
• The new App Links Assistant simplifies the process of adding Android App Links to your app into a step-by-step wizard. Android App Links are HTTP URLs that bring users directly to specific content in your Android app.
• The Layout Editor now includes support for two new ConstraintLayout features:
  • Define a view size based on an aspect ratio.
  • Create packed, spread, and weighted linear groups with constraint chains.
  For more information, see Build a Responsive UI with ConstraintLayout.
• The Layout Editor also now lets you create a list of favorite attributes so you don't have to click View all attributes to access the attributes you use most.
• When adding a material icon using the Vector Import Dialog (File > New > Vector Asset), you can now filter the list of available icons by category or by icon name. For more information, see Adding a material icon.
• New and updated annotations. The new @RestrictTo annotation for methods, classes, and packages lets you restrict an API. The updated @VisibleForTesting annotation now has an optional otherwise argument that lets you designate what the visibility of a method should be if not for the need to make it visible for testing. Lint uses the otherwise option to enforce the intended visibility of the method.
• New lint baseline support allows you to use a snapshot of your project's current set of warnings as a baseline for future inspection runs so only new issues are reported. The baseline snapshot lets you start using lint to fail the build for new issues without having to go back and address all existing issues first.
• New lint checks, including the following:
  • Obsolete SDK_INT Checks: Android Studio removes obsolete code that checks for SDK versions.
  • Object Animator Validation: Lint analyzes your code to make sure that your ObjectAnimator calls reference valid methods with the right signatures and checks that those methods are annotated with @Keep to prevent ProGuard from renaming or removing them during release builds.
  • Unnecessary Item Decorator Copy: Older versions of the RecyclerView library did not include a divider decorator class, but one was provided as a sample in the support demos. Recent versions of the library have a divider decorator class. Lint looks for the old sample and suggests replacing it with the new one.
  • WifiManager Leak: Prior to Android 7.0 (API level 24), initializing the WifiManager with Context.getSystemService() can cause a memory leak if the context is not the application context. Lint looks for these initializations, and if it cannot determine that the context is the application context, it suggests you use Context.getApplicationContext() to get the proper context for the initialization.
  • Improved Resource Prefix: The existing resourcePrefix lint check had many limitations. You can now configure your project with a prefix, such as android { resourcePrefix 'my_lib' }, and lint makes sure that all of your resources are using this prefix. You can use variations of the name for styles and themes. For example for the my_lib prefix, you can have themes named MyLibTheme, myLibAttr, my_lib_layout, and so on.
  • Switch to WebP: This check identifies images in your project that can be converted to WebP format based on your project’s minSdkVersion setting. An associated quickfix can automatically convert the images, or you can convert images to WebP manually.
  • Unsafe WebP: If your project already includes WebP images, this check analyzes your project to ensure that your minSdkVersion setting is high enough to support the included images. For more information about WebP support in Android and Android Studio, see Which browsers natively support WebP? and Create WebP Images Using Android Studio.

Changes

• A separate button to push changes with Instant Run: After deploying your app, you now click Apply Changes to quickly push incremental changes to your running app using Instant Run. The Run and Debug buttons are always available to you when you want to reliably push your changes and force an app restart.
  • Instant Run is supported only when deploying your app to a target device running Android 5.0 (API level 21) or higher.
  • Instant Run is no longer disabled for projects that link to external native projects using CMake or ndk-build. However, you can only use Instant Run to push incremental changes to your Java code, not your native code.
  • Cold swaps (which you can force for a running app by clicking Run ) are now more reliable. Forcing a cold swap also fixes the issue where changes to notification and widget UIs were not updated on the target device.
  • Includes optimizations that make app startup much faster. These optimizations may affect profiling, so you should temporarily disable Instant Run whenever profiling your app.

• The AVD Manager and SDK Manager buttons are now included in the lean Navigation Bar as well as the full Toolbar. To use the lean Navigation Bar, click View to open the View menu, then ensure that Navigation Bar is selected and Toolbar is not selected.

  
• The "Hybrid" debugger has been renamed to "Dual" debugger.
• In the Run/Debug Configurations dialog, under Defaults in the left pane, the following run configuration names have changed with no behavior changes:
  • The JUnit name has changed to Android JUnit. If you have a project that uses JUnit run configurations, those configurations are transformed to Android JUnit run configurations the first time you open the project with Android Studio. A dialog appears to inform you of the name change.
  • The Android Tests name has changed to Android Instrumented Tests.
• The GPU Debugger has been removed from Android Studio as of version 2.3. An open-source, standalone version of the tool is now available on GitHub.
• The Run/Debug option is no longer available when you right-click a *.gradle build script.
• All templates now use ConstraintLayout as the default layout.
• The Widgets palette in the Layout Editor has been redesigned.

This release also includes a number of bug fixes. See all bug fixes in 2.3.0.

Known issue: Some device manufacturers block apps from automatically launching after being installed on the device. When deploying your app to a physical device using Android Studio 2.3, this restriction breaks the intended behavior of Instant Run and causes the following error output: Error: Not found; no service started. To avoid this issue, either use the emulator or enable automatic launching for your app in your device's settings. The proceedure for doing this is different for each device, so check the instructions provided by the manufacturer. For example, some affected Asus devices need to whitelist apps using the Auto-start Manager. To learn more about this issue, see Issue #235879.

Android Studio v2.2.0 (September 2016)

New

• All new Layout Editor with tools custom-built to support ConstraintLayout.
• New Layout Inspector lets you examine snapshots of your layout hierarchy while your app is running on the emulator or a device.
• New Assistant window to help you integrate Firebase services into your app.
• New APK Analyzer tool so you can inspect the contents of your packaged app.
• New Espresso Test Recorder tool (currently in beta) to help you create UI tests by recording your own interactions.
• New build cache (currently experimental) to speed up build performance.
• New C/C++ build integration with CMake and ndk-build. Compile and build new or existing native code into libraries packaged into your APK, and debug using lldb. For new projects, Android Studio uses CMake by default, but also supports ndk-build for existing projects. To learn how to include native code in your Android application, read Add C and C++ Code to Your Project. To learn how to debug native code with lldb, see Debug Native Code.
• New Samples Browser so you can easily look up Google Android sample code from within Android Studio to jump start app development.
• New Merged Manifest Viewer to help you diagnose how your manifest file merges with your app dependencies across project build variants.
• The Run window now contains log messages for the current running app. Note that you can configure the logcat Monitor display, but not the Run window.
• New Android Emulator features:
  • Added new Virtual Sensors and Cellular > Signal Strength controls.
  • Added an LTE option to the Cellular > Network type control.
  • Added simulated vertical swipes for scrolling through vertical menus with a mouse wheel.
• New Run/Debug Configuration features:
  • The Debugger tab of the Android App and Android Tests templates now contain several new options for debugging with LLDB.
  • The Profiling tab of the Android App and Android Tests templates now contain a Capture GPU Commands option for enabling GPU tracing. You can display GPU traces in the GPU Debugger (a beta feature).
  • The Android Tests template now has a Firebase Test Lab Device Matrix option for the Deployment Target.
  • The Native Application template has been deprecated. If you use this template in a project, Android Studio automatically converts it to the Android App template.
  • The Android Application template has been renamed to Android App.
• Improved installation, configuration, performance, and UI features in the GPU Debugger (currently in beta).
• Android Studio now comes bundled with OpenJDK 8. Existing projects still use the JDK specified in File > Project Structure > SDK Location. You can switch to use the new bundled JDK by clicking File > Project Structure > SDK Location and checking the Use embedded JDK checkbox.
• Added new help menus and buttons in the UI so you can more easily find the online documentation.

Changes

• Updated the IDE codebase from IntelliJ 15 to IntelliJ 2016.1
• Instant Run now requires the platform SDK corresponding to the target device API level to be installed.
• Instant Run will automatically disabled if user is running the app under a work profile or as a secondary user.
• Fixed many reliability issues for Instant Run where changes were not getting deployed or the app would crash:
  • Some app assets were not deployed to your running app. ( Bug: #213454)
  • App crashes when user transitions between Instant Run and non Instant Run sessions where a Serializable class does not have serialVersionUID defined. (Bug: #209006)
  • Style changes aren’t reflected with Instant Run. (Bug: #210851)
  • Instant Run session is unreliable and causes FileNotFoundException. (Bug: #213083)
  • Changes to drawables not reflected until full rebuild is performed for KitKat. (Bug: #21530)
  • Resource changes aren’t reflected with Instant Run when custom sourceSets contain nested paths. (Bug: #219145)
  • Hot and warm swap don't work if changed class contains annotation with enum value. (Bug: #209047)
  • Changes to annotation data not reflected with Instant Run. (Bug: #210089)
  • Instant Run doesn't pick up code changes if you make changes outside the IDE. (Bug: #213205)
  • Instant Run session is unreliable due to mismatch security token. (Bug: #211989
  • Cold swap fails for devices that doesn’t properly support run-as. (Bug: #210875)
  • App crash after instant run restart. (Bug: #219744)
  • ClassNotFoundException observed when switching from Instant Run to Instant Debug. (Bug: #215805)
• Improved performance for Gradle sync within the IDE, especially for large projects.
• Improved build times for both full and incremental builds with new app packaging code.
• Improved Jack compiler performance and features, including support for annotation processors and dexing in process. To learn more, read the Android plugin for Gradle 2.2.0 release notes.
• Added an updated AccelerometerPlay sample so you can try out the emulator Accelerometer control. Select File > New > Import Sample to import the project.
• Removed the Scale AVD property from the AVD Manager.
• The Android Emulator -port and -ports command-line options now report which ports and serial number the emulator instance is using, and warn if there are any issues with the values you provided.
• Improved the Create New Class dialog and the corresponding file templates. Note: If you've previously customized the AnnotationType, Class, Enum, Interface, or Singleton file templates, you need to modify your templates to comply with the new templates or you won’t be able to use the new fields in the Create New Class dialog.
• Improved the Vector Asset Studio user interface and added support for Adobe Photoshop Document (PSD) files.
• Improved the Image Asset Studio user interface.
• Improved the Theme Editor's Resource Picker.
• Fixed memory leaks and reduced overall memory usage in Android Studio.
• Added a Background button in the SDK Manager so you can get back to work and install your packages in the background.
• Improved Accessibility features, including support for screen readers and keyboard navigation.
• Enhanced Code Analysis includes code quality checks for Java 8 language usage and more cross-file analysis.
• Several toolbar icons have changed.

Android Studio v2.1.0 (April 2016)

The primary changes in this update provide support for development with the Android N Preview.

The Android N platform adds support for Java 8 language features, which require a new experimental compiler called Jack. The latest version of Jack is currently supported only in Android Studio 2.1. So if you want to use Java 8 language features, you need to use Android Studio 2.1 to build your app.

Note: Instant Run is disabled when you enable the Jack compiler because they currently are not compatible.

Although Android Studio 2.1 is now stable, the Jack compiler is still experimental and you must enable it with the jackOptions property in your build.gradle file.

Other than the changes to support the N Preview, Android Studio 2.1 includes minor bug fixes and the following enhancements:

• The Java-aware C++ debugger is now enabled by default when you're using an N device or emulator and select Native debugger mode (in the Debugger tab for your run/debug configuration).

For other build enhancements, including incremental Java compilation and dexing-in-process,update your Android plugin for Gradle to version 2.1.0.

Android Studio v2.0.0 (April 2016)

Note: If you are developing for the N Developer Preview, you should use Android Studio 2.1 Preview. Android Studio 2.0 does not support all the features required to target the N Preview. To learn more, read about how to properly set up your developer environment for the N Preview.

Instant Run:

• Android Studio now deploys clean builds faster than ever before. Additionally, pushing incremental code changes to the emulator or a physical device is now almost instantaneous. Review your updates without redeploying a new debug build or, in many cases, without restarting the app.
• Instant Run supports pushing the following changes to a running app:
  • Changes to the implementation of an existing instance method or static method
  • Changes to an existing app resource
  • Changes to structural code, such as a method signature or a static field (requires a target device running API level 21 or higher).
• Read the documentation to learn more about Instant Run.

  Note: Instant Run is supported only when you deploy the debug build variant, use Android plugin for Gradle version 2.0.0 or higher, and configure your app's module-level build.gradle file for minSdkVersion 15 or higher. For the best performance, configure your app for minSdkVersion 21 or higher.

New additions to Lint:

• Inspection of switch statements using @IntDef annotated integers to make sure all constants are handled. To quickly add any missing statements, use the intention action drop-down menu and select Add Missing @IntDef Constants.
• Flags for incorrect attempts to use string interpolation to insert version numbers in the build.gradle file.
• Flags for anonymous classes that extend the Fragment class.
• Flags for native code in unsafe locations, such as the res/ and asset/ folders. This flag encourages storing native code in the libs/ folder, which is then securely packaged into the application’s data/app-lib/ folder at install time. AOSP: #169950
• Flags for unsafe calls to Runtime.load() and System.load() calls. AOSP: #179980
• Find and remove any unused resources by selecting Refactor > Remove Unused Resources from the menu bar. Unused resource detection now supports resources only referenced by unused resources, references in raw files such as .html image references, and tools:keep and tools:discard attributes used by the Gradle resource shrinker, while considering inactive source sets (such as resources used in other build flavors) and properly handling static field imports.
• Checks that implicit API references are supported on all platforms targeted by minSdkVersion.
• Flags improper usage of RecyclerView and Parcelable.
• @IntDef, @IntRange, and @Size inspections are now also checked for int arrays and varargs.

Additional Improvements:

• Optimized for Android Emulator 2.0, which is faster than ever before, supports a wider range of virtual devices, and features a drastically improved UI. To learn more about the new emulator, read the SDK Tools release notes.
• Improvements to the Android Virtual Device Manager:
  • System images are now categorized under the following tabs: Recommended, x86, and Other.
  • Under advanced settings, you can enable multi-core support and specify the number of cores the emulator can use.
  • Under advanced settings, you can determine how graphics are rendered on the emulator by selecting one of the following options:
    • Hardware: use you computer's graphics card for faster rendering.
    • Software: use software-based rendering.
    • Auto: let the emulator decide the best option. This is the default setting.
• Improved AAPT packaging times by specifying deploy target before the app is built. This allows Android Studio to efficiently package only the resources required by the specified device.
• Added Cloud Test Lab integration to provide on-demand app testing with the convenience and scalability of a cloud service. Learn more about how you can use Cloud Test Lab with Android Studio.
• Added a preview of the new GPU Debugger. For graphics intensive applications, you can now visually step through your OpenGL ES code to optimize your app or game.
• Added Google App Indexing Test. Add support for URLs, app indexing, and search functionality to your apps to help drive more traffic to your app, discover which app content is used most, and attract new users. Test and validate URLs in your app all within Android Studio. See Supporting URLs and App Indexing in Android Studio.
• Upgrades from the latest IntelliJ 15 release, including improved code analysis and performance. See What's New in IntelliJ for a complete description of the new features and enhancements.
• XML editor auto-complete now adds quotations marks when completing attributes. To check if this option is enabled, open the Setting or Preferences dialogue, navigate to Editor > General > Smart Keys, and check the box next to Add quotes for attribute value on attribute completion. Issue: 195113
• The XML editor now supports code completion for data binding expressions.

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