In case you weren’t already aware, Android is kind of a big deal these days. OK, that’s pretty much the understatement of the year. Between the recent announcements at Google I/O 2022, improvements to the Bitrise Android build process, and all the amazing community events, I think we can all agree that it’s a pretty glorious time to be an Android developer!
Whether you’re working on native projects using Java, Kotlin, or creating cross-platform apps using something like React Native or Flutter, there’s something for just about everyone. In fact, there’s been so much going on within the Android world lately that it can all feel a little overwhelming at times. That’s why, in this article, I want to point out some of what I think are some of the most notable announcements, capabilities, and events that should be on every Android enthusiast's radar.
Recent Android innovations
While there are many great Android events that have happened and will happen over the course of 2022, by far the most impactful event is Google's marquee event, Google I/O. And, unsurprisingly, Google came out swinging with all sorts of fantastic announcements. In fact, there was so much content we decided to write a blog post about it.
Android 13
First and foremost was the announcement that Android 13’s second beta was made available on the first day of Google I/O, with the final (stable) release likely to become available sometime in August/September.
Now, this wasn’t all too surprising as the I/O event has become synonymous with some kind of major Android version announcement. And while Android 13 doesn’t appear to be a massive overhaul from the previous version, it lays the groundwork for multi-device (e.g. phones, tablets, wearables, etc.) innovation for years to come.
New hardware
And speaking of multiple devices, Google announced a ton of new hardware that’s to be released over the next year.
- Pixel 6a to be released this summer
- Pixel Buds Pro to be released this summer
- Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro to be released this fall
- Pixel Watch to be released this fall
- Pixel Tablet to be released in 2023
Of course, the previous list only includes Google manufactured hardware and as you know, there are tons of other options out there. The key takeaway from this is Google’s commitment to devices spanning a variety of different
Quality and stability improvements
During I/O Google put a heavy emphasis on improving the quality, stability, and transparency of Android apps. While some developers might think such a thing is “boring”, I think there are many of us that are encouraged by the investment Google has been putting into the long-term maturity and stability of Android as a whole.
Over the course of the event, there were many call-outs for improvement to libraries within the Android ecosystem, including to Jetpack and Jetpack Compose. But, for me, the really juicy stuff came out of the “What’s new in Android development tools?” session, where they elaborated on the latest improvements coming to Android studio in the Dolphin and Electric Eel releases.
Faster builds = happier developers
Around the same time as Google I/O, we recently announced our updates to the Linux environment that can be used to build your native Android and cross-platform Android apps. The gist is that we’ve updated our Linux vCPU 2-4-8 machines to vCPU 4-8-16 respectively, and the best part is that the credit multipliers remain the same.
As part of our ongoing dedication to the Android developer community, we’ve beefed up our Linux machines to help speed up your build by an average of 30%.
Why do we think it’s such a big deal? Well, with these new machines you’ll notice:
- Improved speed, quality, and stability for your Android projects
- Faster builds, tests, and debug feedback loops
- Faster, more reliable QA checks and testing process
At this point you may be wondering, “what do I need to do” or “what do I need to update” to take advantage of these changes. Answer: absolutely nothing. Everything is already updated and ready to use within your Bitrise projects.
Bitrise is on the road
But trying out these new innovations, whether from Google or Bitrise, on your own is really only half the fun. As you likely already know, one of the best parts about Android is the community. We’re passionate, emphatic, and some might even say crazed…in a good way, of course. We love creating Android apps almost as much as we love talking about creating Android apps.
This is exactly why we (Bitrise) are going to be hitting the road over the next few months to get out there with the community.
- droidcon San Francisco, June 2-3
- droidcon Berlin, July 6-8
- Chicago Roboto, August 1-2
- droidcon New York, September 1-2
- droidcon Italy, October 6-7
- droidcon London, October 27-28
So, if you have the opportunity to attend one of these fantastic community events, please stop by the Bitrise booth, and let's talk about all of the wonderful things that have been going on in the wonderful world of Android!
Happy building!
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