Program Overview

Welcome to the Android 7.1 Developer Preview, a program that gives you everything you need to test and optimize your apps for the upcoming update of Android Nougat. It's free, and you can get started right away just by downloading the Developer Preview tools.

Timeline and updates

The Android 7.1 Developer Preview runs from October 19 until the final Android 7.1.1 public release to AOSP and OEMs, planned for December 2016.

Android 7.1 is an incremental maintenance release of Android Nougat. It includes the productivity, security, and performance of Android 7.0, along with a variety of optimizations and bug fixes, features, and new APIs (API level 25).

Because it’s incremental, we’re delivering Developer Preview 1 as a Beta quality release. The new APIs are already final, and in general the builds are suitable for daily use by developers and early adopters.

Here are the milestones for Android 7.1 Developer Preview.

• Preview 1 (Android 7.1.1 initial release, beta, final APIs)
  • Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel C
• Preview 2 (Android 7.1.1 near-final system images for final testing)
  • Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9, and Pixel C, General Mobile 4G (Android One)
• Final release to AOSP and OEM ecosystem
  • Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9, and Pixel C, General Mobile 4G (Android One), Pixel, Pixel XL

At each milestone we’ll provide updated SDK tools, system images, emulators, documentation, and API diffs.

Preview 1 includes the final APIs and SDK, so you can use begin using it immediately for compatibility testing as well as developing with new features and APIs in your apps.

Also at Preview 1 you’ll be able to publish apps to devices running Android 7.1 (API 25), such as devices opted into Android Beta as well as Pixel and Pixel XL devices. We recommend that you publish into the Google Play alpha and beta channels first, so you can test your apps with consumers before distributing broadly on the store.

As you test and develop on Android 7.1, we strongly recommend keeping your development environment up-to-date as preview updates are released. To make the process easier, you can enroll your test devices in the Android Beta Program and get updates over-the-air (OTA) at each milestone. Alternatively, updated preview images are available that you download and flash manually.

We’ll notify you when preview updates are available via the Android Developers Blog, as well as this site and the Android 7.1 Developer Community.

What's in the Android 7.1 Developer Preview?

The Android 7.1 Developer Preview includes everything you need to test your existing apps for compatibility and add new platform features.

See Android 7.1 for Developers overview for details on new features and capabilities.

SDK tools

You can download these components through the SDK Manager in Android Studio:

• SDK and tools
• Preview emulator system image (32-bit & 64-bit)
• Preview emulator system Image for Android TV (32-bit)
• Support library update (25.0.0)

We’ll provide updates to these development tools at each milestone.

Hardware system images

The Android 7.1 Developer Preview includes Nexus and other hardware system images that you can use when testing and developing on physical devices. See the Device Images page for the full list of hardware images.

We’ll deliver updated system images for preview devices at each milestone. You can download and flash the updated system images to your test devices manually, as frequently as you need. This is especially useful for automated testing environments where you might need to reflash your device multiple times.

Note: Devices flashed manually will not get OTA updates. You can get OTAs by enrolling devices in the Android Beta Program — see details in the next section.

OTA Updates through Android Beta Program

Android Beta is an Over-the-Air (OTA) update program that automatically delivers the latest preview updates directly to devices enrolled in the program. The program is free, and it’s open to anyone who has a supported device that’s registered to their Google account.

To enroll in the program visit the Android Beta Program site. You’ll see all of the devices registered to your account that are eligible to enroll in Android Beta.

1. Choose the devices you want to receive the preview updates
2. Click Enroll, read and agree to the terms of service, and then click OK

Once you’ve enrolled, your device will receive updates as soon as they are available. In most cases, you will not need to do a full reset of your data to move to the latest preview build, but it’s recommended that you back up any data you don’t want to lose before enrolling the device.

As updates are delivered to your device, we recommend downloading and installing them as soon as possible. You’ll want to stay current with the latest changes in system UI, behavior, APIs, and features.

At the conclusion of the Developer Preview, your enrolled devices will receive an update to the official Android 7.1.1 release. You can leave your device enrolled to automatically receive updates to the next Developer Preview program, when it's available.

You can un-enroll your devices from the Android Beta program at any time from the Android Beta site. Before un-enrolling, make sure to back-up your data on the device.

Note: When you un-enroll, your device will be factory reset to the latest version of Android 7.0 Nougat (not necessarily the version that you had installed prior to enrolling the device). To ensure a clean installation, your data will be erased from the device, including contacts, messages, photos, and so on.

Documentation and sample code

These documentation resources are available on the Developer Preview site to help you learn about Android 7.1:

• Set Up the Preview has step-by-step instructions for getting started.
• Documentation of new APIs, including an overview of developer features, updated API Reference, and detailed developer guides on App Shortcuts and Image Keyboard.
• API diffs for details on new, modified, and deprecated APIs.
• Sample code that demonstrates how to support permissions and other new features.
• Release notes for the current version of the Developer Preview, including known issues, supported devices, change notes, and other information. diff reports.

Support resources

As you test and develop on the N Developer Preview, please use these channels to report issues and give feedback.

• The Developer Preview Issue Tracker is your primary feedback channel. 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 7.1 Developer Community is a Google+ community where you can connect with other developers working with Android 7.1. You can share observations or ideas or find answers to questions about developing or testing on Android 7.1. We’ll moderate the community and provide answers and guidance as needed.

Targeting, preview APIs, and publishing

Since the Android 7.1 APIs are final, you can target API level 25 and publish your app as to Google Play as soon as you're ready. We recommend using the alpha and beta release channels before distributing broadly in the public release channel.

How to get started

To get started testing your app with Android 7.1:

1. Review the API Overview to get an idea of what's new and how it affects your apps. In particular, learn about the new App Shortcuts, image keyboard, round icons, and other new features.
2. Set up your environment by following the instructions for Setting up the Preview SDK and configuring test devices.
3. Follow the instructions to update your device to the latest build of the N Developer Preview. The easiest way is to enroll your device in Android Beta program.
4. Review the API Reference and Android 7.1 samples to gain more insight into new API features and how to use them in your app.
5. Join the Android 7.1 Developer Community to get the latest news and connect with other developers working with the new platform.

Thank you for your participation in the Android 7.1 Developer Preview program!