1 page.title=Program Overview
2 page.metaDescription=Welcome to the Android M Developer Preview, a program that gives you everything you need to test and optimize your apps for the next version of Android.
3 page.image=images/cards/card-preview_16-9_2x.png
4 page.tags="preview", "developer", "android"
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11 Developer Preview 2 is now available
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28 <a href="https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">
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36 Welcome to the <strong>Android M Developer Preview</strong>, a program that gives you
37 everything you need to test and optimize your apps for the next version of
38 Android. It's free, and you can get started right away just by downloading
39 the M Developer Preview tools.
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47 Hardware and emulator system images
51 Run and test your apps on Nexus 5, 6, 9, and Player (for TV), as well
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62 We’ll provide multiple updates during the Preview, so you’ll be testing
63 against the latest platform changes.
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69 Updates delivered by OTA
73 You can get updates over-the-air, once you’ve flashed a
74 device to the initial preview.
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84 New behaviors and capabilities
88 Start work early to support new platform behaviors such as
89 the new runtime permissions model and power-saving features.
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95 Priority window for developer-reported issues
99 During the first several weeks we’ll give priority to developer-reported
100 issues, so test and give feedback as soon as possible.
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110 Report issues and give us feedback using our <a href=
111 "https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">issue tracker</a>.
112 Connect with other developers in the <a
113 href="http://g.co/dev/AndroidMDevPreview">M Developer Community</a>.
123 With the M Developer Preview, you'll get an early start on testing your apps,
124 with enough time to make adjustments before the public platform release later
125 in the year. We'll provide several updates to the Preview tools in the weeks
126 ahead, so you can keep in sync with the latest changes as the platform moves
129 <img src="{@docRoot}preview/images/m-preview-timeline.png" alt=
130 "Preview program timeline" id="timeline">
132 You can help us improve the platform by <a href=
133 "https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">reporting issues</a>
134 through our feedback channels. This is especially
135 critical in the first month of the preview, when we’ll be giving priority to
136 developer-reported issues and feedback.
143 <img src="{@docRoot}preview/images/m-preview-timeline-crop.png" alt=
144 "Preview program timeline" id="timeline">
146 The M Developer Preview runs from May 28 until the final Android M SDK, which
147 we’ll release shortly before the public release during Q3
152 At key development milestones, we’ll deliver updates for your test devices.
153 The tentative milestones are
158 <strong><a href="{@docRoot}preview/download_mp1.html">Preview 1</a></strong> (available).
162 <strong><a href="{@docRoot}preview/download.html">Preview 2</a></strong> (available).
166 <strong>Preview 3</strong> (near final, late July).
171 These updates culminate in the <strong>final SDK</strong> (later in Q3),
172 which delivers the official APIs for the new version of Android, as well
173 as the final system behaviors and features.
177 As you test and develop on Android M, we strongly recommend <strong>keeping
178 your development environment up-to-date</strong> as Preview updates are released.
179 To make the process easier, we'll deliver <strong>updates over-the-air
180 (OTA)</strong> to devices already flashed to a Preview build, as well as
181 providing system images that you can download and flash manually.
184 <strong>Note:</strong> The final SDK and system images can not be delivered
185 by OTA, but will instead need to be <strong>flashed manually</strong> to
186 your test devices.</strong>
190 We’ll notify you when Preview updates are available via the <a href=
191 "http://android-developers.blogspot.com/">Android Developers Blog</a>, as
192 well as this site and the
193 <a href="http://g.co/dev/AndroidMDevPreview">Android M Developer Community</a>.
196 <h2 id="preview_tools">
197 What’s in the Preview?
201 The M Developer Preview includes everything you need to test your existing
202 apps on a variety of screen sizes, network technologies, CPU/GPU chipsets,
203 and hardware architectures.
211 You can download these components through the SDK Manager in <a href=
212 "{@docRoot}sdk/installing/adding-packages.html">Android Studio</a>:
216 <li>M Developer Preview <strong>SDK tools</strong>
219 <li>M Developer Preview <strong>emulator system image</strong> (32-bit &
223 <li>M Developer Preview <strong>emulator system Image for Android TV</strong>
229 Hardware system images
233 You can download these hardware system images for Nexus devices from the
234 <a href="download.html">Downloads page</a>:
239 <strong>Nexus 5</strong> (GSM/LTE) “hammerhead” device system image
243 <strong>Nexus 6</strong> “shamu” device system image
247 <strong>Nexus 9</strong> (Wi-Fi) “volantis” device system image
251 <strong>Nexus Player</strong> (Android TV) “fugu” device system image
256 Documentation and sample code
260 These documentation resources help you learn about the Preview:
265 <a href="setup-sdk.html">Set Up the SDK</a> has step-by-step instructions
270 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/testing/guide.html">Testing Guide</a> and <a href=
271 "behavior-changes.html">Behavior Changes</a> point you to key areas to test.
274 <li>Documentation of new APIs, including an <a href="api-overview.html">API Overview</a>,
275 downloadable <a href="{@docRoot}preview/download.html#docs">API Reference</a>, and detailed developer guides on
277 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/features/runtime-permissions.html">permissions</a>,
278 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/backup/index.html">app backup</a>, and others.
282 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/samples.html">Sample code</a> that demonstrates how to support
283 permissions and other new features.
287 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/support.html#release-notes">Release notes</a> for the current version
288 of the M Developer Preview, including change notes and diff reports.
297 Use these support resources as you test and develop on the M
302 <li><a href="https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">M
303 Developer Preview Issue Tracker</a> is your <strong>primary feedback
304 channel.</strong> You can report bugs, performance issues, and general
305 feedback through the issue tracker. You can also check for <a
306 href="https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/wiki/KnownIssues">known issues</a>
307 and find workaround steps.
310 <li>The <a href="http://g.co/dev/AndroidMDevPreview">Android M Developer
311 Community</a> is a Google+ community where you can <strong>connect with
312 other developers</strong> working with Android M. You can share
313 observations or ideas or find answers to questions about Android M.
318 <h2 id="preview_apis_and_publishing">
319 Targeting, preview APIs, and publishing
323 The Android M Developer Preview is a development-only release and
324 <strong>does not have a standard API level</strong>. If you want to opt out
325 of compatibility behaviors to test your app (which is strongly recommended),
326 you can target the M Developer Preview by setting your app's <code><a href=
327 "/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html">targetSdkVersion</a></code>
328 to <code>“MNC”</code>.
332 The Android M Developer Preview delivers <strong>preview APIs</strong>
333 — the APIs will not be official until the final SDK is released,
334 currently planned for the third quarter of 2015. This means that you can
335 <strong>expect minor API changes</strong> over time, especially during
336 initial weeks of the program. We’ll provide a summary of changes to you with
337 each update of the Android M Developer Preview.
341 Note that although preview APIs may change, underlying system behaviors such
342 as runtime permissions and power-saving features are stable and ready for
347 In terms of publishing, Google Play <strong>prevents publishing of apps
348 targeting the M Developer Preview</strong>. When the Android M final SDK is
349 available, you’ll be able to target the official Android M API level and
350 publish your app to Google Play. Meanwhile, if you want to distribute an app
351 targeting Android M to testers, you can do so via email or by direct download
355 <h2 id="get_started">
360 To get started testing your app:
364 <li>Review the <a href="{@docRoot}preview/api-overview.html">API Overview</a>
365 and <a href="{@docRoot}preview/behavior-changes.html">Behavior Changes</a> to get an
366 idea of what's new and how it affects your apps. In particular, learn about
367 the new <a href="{@docRoot}preview/features/runtime-permissions.html">runtime
368 permissions</a> model, power-saving features, and auto backup.
371 <li>Set up your environment by following the instructions for
372 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/setup-sdk.html">Setting up the Preview SDK</a>
373 and configuring test devices.
376 <li>Follow the <a href="https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images">
377 flashing instructions</a> to flash the latest M developer preview system image
378 for Nexus 5, 6, 9, and Player. Once you've flashed your development device,
379 Preview updates will be delivered through over-the-air (OTA) updates.</a>
382 <li>Download the <a href="{@docRoot}preview/download.html#docs">M Preview API
383 Reference</a> and <a href="{@docRoot}preview/samples.html">M Preview
384 samples</a> to gain more insight into new API features and how to use them in
388 <li>Join the <a href="http://g.co/dev/AndroidMDevPreview">Android M
389 Developer Community</a> to get the latest news and connect with other
390 developers working with the new platform.
395 Thank you for your participation in the Android M Developer Preview program!