What’s new in Android Improvement Instruments

Posted by Mayank Jain – Product Supervisor, Android Studio

At Google I/O 2024, we introduced an thrilling new set of options and instruments geared toward making Android growth quicker and simpler. We additionally shared updates to Android Studio that may provide help to leverage AI and make it simpler so that you can construct prime quality apps for Android throughout the Android ecosystem.

You may try the What’s new in Android Developer Instruments session at Google I/O 2024 to see a few of the new options in motion or higher but, strive them out your self by downloading Android Studio Koala 🐨 Function Drop within the preview launch channel. Right here’s a have a look at our bulletins:

Leverage Gemini in Android Studio

Since launching AI options in Android Studio final 12 months, we proceed to evolve our underlying fashions, combine your suggestions, and develop availability to extra international locations and territories to be able to leverage AI in your workflow and turn into a extra productive Android app developer. Utilizing the built-in AI privateness controls, you’ll be able to decide in to utilizing the newest AI characteristic enhancements which are tailor-made on your Android app undertaking.

Code solutions with Gemini in Android Studio

Now you can present customized prompts for Gemini in Android Studio to generate code solutions. After you allow Gemini from the View > Device Home windows > Gemini software window, right-click within the code editor and choose Gemini > Rework chosen code from the context menu to see the immediate area. You may then immediate Gemini to generate a code suggestion that both provides new code or transforms chosen code. You may ask Gemini to simplify complicated code by rewriting it, carry out very particular code transformations reminiscent of “make this code idiomatic,” or generate new features you describe. Android Studio then reveals you Gemini’s code suggestion as a code diff, to be able to overview and settle for solely the solutions you need.

Gemini for suggestions on crash stories

App High quality Insights in Android Studio seamlessly incorporates each Firebase Crashlytics and Android Vitals knowledge into Android Studio so you’ll be able to entry crucial app stability associated info, with out having to change instruments.

Now you can use Gemini in Android Studio to investigate your crash stories, generate insights that are proven within the Gemini software window, present a crash abstract, and when potential suggest subsequent steps, together with pattern code and hyperlinks to related documentation.

You may generate all of this info straight from the App High quality Insights software window in Android Studio after you allow Gemini from View > Device Home windows > Gemini.

Combine Gemini API into your app with a starter template

Begin prototyping with Gemini fashions in your apps with our new starter app template offered in Android Studio. On this app template, you’ll be able to subject prompts on to the Gemini API, add picture sources as enter, and show the responses on the display screen. Moreover, use Google AI Studio to craft customized prompts on your app.

If you find yourself able to scale your AI options to manufacturing with Google Cloud infrastructure, you can too entry the highly effective capabilities of Gemini fashions by means of Vertex AI. That is Google’s fully-managed growth platform designed for constructing and deploying generative AI. Whether or not you merely want world class inference capabilities, or wish to construct end-to-end AI workflows with Vertex, the Gemini API is a good answer.

Gemini 1.5 Professional coming to Android Studio

We beforehand introduced that Gemini in Android Studio makes use of the Gemini 1.0 Professional mannequin that will help you by answering Android growth questions, producing code, discovering sources, or explaining greatest practices. On this preview stage of Gemini in Android Studio, we’re providing Gemini 1.0 Professional at no-cost for all customers for now. Gemini 1.0 Professional is a flexible mannequin, making it superb to scale. Nonetheless we acknowledge that its high quality of responses could also be restricted in some instances. Primarily based in your suggestions, we’re dedicated to enhancing the standard for Android growth, and excited so as to add extra options utilizing Gemini to make your developer expertise much more productive.

Alongside this journey, the Gemini 1.5 Professional mannequin will probably be coming to Android Studio later this 12 months. Outfitted with a Massive Context Window, this mannequin notably results in greater high quality responses, and unlocks use instances like multimodal enter that you simply might need seen within the Google I/O 2024 classes. Keep tuned for extra updates on how one can entry extra succesful fashions in Android Studio.

Productiveness enhancements

Launch Monitoring with Firebase

As we speak we introduced the final availability of the Firebase Launch Monitoring Dashboard. The Firebase Launch Monitoring Dashboard is a single dashboard powered by Firebase Crashlytics to observe your most up-to-date manufacturing releases of your Android app. It updates in actual time to provide you a high-level view of crucial launch metrics, like crash-free classes, comparisons, and benchmarking primarily based in your earlier releases.

Android System Streaming

Android System Streaming, powered by Firebase, enables you to securely connect with distant bodily Android gadgets hosted in Google’s knowledge facilities. It’s a handy solution to check your app towards bodily items of a few of the newest Android gadgets, together with the Google Pixel 8 and eight Professional, Pixel Fold, and extra.

Beginning as we speak, Android System Streaming now contains the next gadgets, along with the portfolio of 20+ system fashions already obtainable:

• Samsung Galaxy Fold5
• Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely
• Google Pixel 8a

Moreover, if you happen to’re new to Firebase, Android Studio routinely creates and units up a no-cost Firebase undertaking for you while you register to Koala Function Drop to make use of System Streaming. So, you will get to streaming the system you want a lot quicker. Be taught extra about Android System Streaming quotas, together with promotional quota for the Firebase Blaze plan tasks obtainable for a restricted time.

USB cable pace detection

Do you know that USB cable bandwidth varies from 480 Mbps (USB-2) to as much as 40,000 Mbps (USB-4)? Android Studio Koala Function Drop now makes it trivial to distinguish low performing USB cables from the excessive performing ones.

Whenever you join an Android system, Android Studio routinely detects the system and USB cable bandwidth and warns you if there’s a mismatch in USB bandwidth.

Word: USB cable pace detection requires an up to date ADB present in Android SDK Platform Instruments v34+, and is presently obtainable for macOS and Linux.

A brand new solution to register with Google in Android Studio

It’s now simpler to register to a number of Google providers with one authentication step. Whether or not you wish to use Gemini in Android Studio, Firebase for Android System Streaming, Google Play for Android Vitals stories, or all these helpful providers, the brand new register movement makes it simpler to stand up and working. Should you’re new to Firebase and wish to use Android System Streaming, Android Studio routinely creates a undertaking for you, so you’ll be able to shortly begin streaming an actual bodily Firebase system. With granular permissions scoping, you’ll at all times be in command of which providers have entry to your account. To get began, simply click on the profile avatar and register along with your developer account.

System UI setting shortcut

Utilizing the system UI setting shortcut, now you can effortlessly configure your gadgets to desired settings associated to darkish theme, font measurement, show measurement, app language, and extra, all straight by means of the Operating Gadgets window. Now you can check and debug your UI seamlessly for any of the potential eventualities required by your use case.

Sooner and improved Profiler with a task-centric strategy

The internals of the Android Studio Profiler have been dramatically improved. Fashionable profiling duties like capturing a system hint with profileable apps now begin as much as 60% quicker.*

We’ve redesigned the profiler to make it simpler to start out the duty you’re desirous about, whether or not it’s profiling your app’s CPU, reminiscence, or energy utilization. For instance, initiating a system hint process to profile and enhance your app’s startup time is built-in proper within the UI as you open the profiler.

Google Play SDK Index integration

Android Studio is built-in with the Google Play SDK Index to tell when there are identified coverage or model points with SDKs utilized by your app. This lets you replace these dependencies and keep away from points that would stop you from publishing new variations of your app.

Within the Android Studio Koala Function Drop launch, the mixing has been expanded to additionally embody warnings from the Google Play SDK Console. This provides you an entire view of any potential model or coverage points in your dependencies earlier than submitting your app to the Google Play Console.

Notes from SDK authors at the moment are additionally displayed straight in Android Studio to save lots of you time.

Preview tiles for Put on OS apps

Android Studio now has preview assist for Tiles. Now you can iterate a lot faster when creating tiles, enabling you to shortly see what a Tile appears like on totally different configurations while not having to run it on a tool.

Generate artificial sensor knowledge for testing on Put on OS apps

To assist simulate actual life eventualities now you can generate artificial (faux) knowledge for a Put on OS emulator for well being associated sensors reminiscent of coronary heart price, pace, steps, and extra. You at the moment are capable of arrange and carry out testing for a multi-sport coaching session in minutes, end-to-end in Android Studio, with out ever leaving your desk.

Compose Look widget previews

Android Studio Koala Function Drop makes it straightforward to preview your Jetpack Compose Look widgets (1.1.0-rc01) straight inside the IDE. Catch potential UI points and fine-tune your widget’s look early within the growth course of. Be taught extra about learn how to get began.

Reside Edit for Compose enabled by default

Reside Edit for Compose can speed up your Compose growth expertise by routinely deploying code modifications to the working utility on an emulator or bodily system. Reside Edit will help you see the impact of updates to UX parts—for instance new composables, modifier updates, and animations—on the general app expertise. As you turn into extra acquainted with Reside Edit you’ll discover many artistic methods it will probably assist enhance your growth expertise and productiveness.

In Android Studio Koala Function Drop, Reside Edit is enabled by default in guide mode and has elevated stability and extra strong change detection, together with assist for import statements.

Compose preview screenshot testing plugin (alpha)

Host-side screenshot testing is a simple and highly effective solution to check UIs and forestall regressions. As we speak, the primary alpha model of the Compose Preview Screenshot Testing plugin is out there as a separate plugin, for use along with AGP 8.5.0-beta01 or greater. Add your Compose Previews to the src/essential/screenshotTest folder and run the duty to generate a diff report after UI updates. The generated HTML check report enables you to visually detect any modifications to your app’s UI.

This alpha model of the plugin is designed for fast iteration and suggestions. We plan to merge it again into AGP sooner or later, however for now, this separate plugin lets us experiment and enhance the characteristic shortly. Be taught extra about learn how to get began.