Now in Android: 120 – Android Canaries, Agentic AI, 16 KB page size requirements, and more!

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DAN GALPIN: I'm Dan Galpin with the latest from Now in Android, your ongoing guide to what's new and notable in the world of Android development.

This episode features Android canaries, agentic AI in studio, 16 KB page size requirements, Play updates, including policy changes, new capabilities around one-time purchases, Play Game Services V2, and Google Play Games on PC, I/O recaps on AI and Dev Productivity, next-gen Samsung devices, Compose tips, and more.

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Android is evolving its early access programs by introducing the Canary Release Channel, replacing the old developer preview model, while providing earlier and more consistent access to in-development features throughout the year.

The Canary Channel delivers continuous over-the-air updates for supported Pixel devices.

You can integrate these builds into your CI systems to catch potential compatibility issues early, and download Canary SDKs directly through the SDK Manager in Android Studio.

Canary builds our bleeding edge and run in parallel with the existing beta program.

Try out your apps on Canary to explore and help guide where Android is heading, but focus your app testing resources on the beta channel to make sure you're ready for the next platform launch.

You can get started by flashing your Pixel device using the Android Flash tool or by configuring the Android emulator with a Canary image.

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Speaking of canaries, the latest Android Studio Narwhal feature-dropped canary includes Agent Mode, a new experimental feature that allows Gemini to handle complex, multi-step development tasks on its own.

Just describe your goal in plain English, and the agent will create and execute a plan that can span multiple project files, using IDE tools to make changes, run builds, and perform searches.