The Android Canary is intended for developers who wish to explore and test the earliest pre-released Android APIs and potential changes.(Image: Android developer blog)
Google recently launched their Android Canary release channel to replace their traditional developer previews. Only those with Pixel smartphones and tablets are likely to get access to Google’s upcoming features on Android smartphones.
The company’s Android Beta for Pixel programme has long allowed interested users to sign up and receive access to in-development builds of major new releases, like Android 16, months before they are released publicly. For those who like early previews, Google announced something even better – Android Canary. The initial Android Canary update offers a goes beyond tweaks to user interface, however, there are many yet to be known features which will be revealed much later.
Who should use the Canary channel?
The Android Canary is intended for developers who wish to explore and test the earliest pre-released Android APIs and potential changes. In addition to Google’s automated testing, builds from the Google Platform Android Canary channel will briefly be tested by internal users. While testing Android Canary, users can expect bugs and breaking changes or modifications that could disrupt the compatibility of the software.
These bleeding edge builds may not be suitable for someone who uses this platform on their primary device, testing it on a spare Pixel device is recommended. The existing Beta channel will run simultaneously to the Android Canary to make sure that the apps are both compatible with and take advantage of upcoming platform features.
Canary channel: Features
When it comes to issues, they will now be directly addressed by the Canary channel, through over-the-air (OTA) updates, you can now obtain a continuous, rolling stream of the most recent platform builds on your compatible Pixel device to the Canary release channel.
In the early stages of proposed behaviour changes and new features, developers can test them out and offer feedback. There are possibilities that these modifications will not always appear in a stable Android release.
Through the Beta programme, users can still test a more polished set of features that might be released shortly. Canary builds can also be used with Computer Interface to see whether any of the in-development features cause unexpected problems with your app, which will maximise the time we have to address your concerns.
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Limitations of developer preview model
Although the Developer Preview programme has been an essential component of Google’s release cycle, there were inherent limitations in its structure. Developer Previews needed to be manually flashed to devices each time the cycle restarted because they were not connected to a release channel.
Earlier, previews were only accessible in the early stages of the cycle since they were linked to the upcoming official Android release. The preview track would terminate once a platform version entered the Beta stage, leaving features that showed promise but were not yet prepared for Beta without an official avenue for feedback.
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