Google is shaking up Android’s early-access programs. In a post published today on the Android Developers Blog, Google announced that Android’s developer preview channel is getting some new functionality and a new name more in line with Google’s branding for other products.
The new Android Canary release channel is largely the same as the old developer preview program (that is, not meant for average users), but with some tweaks that should make it more helpful for developers.
As it existed before, Android’s developer preview program allowed developers to try in-development features and test app compatibility with upcoming Android releases well ahead of time. Developer preview builds could be expected to be buggy, and were released ahead of more stable Android beta builds. Once the beta for a given Android version began, the developer preview period for that version ended.
By contrast, the new Android Canary program has its own release track, entirely separate from the beta build pipeline. Devices enrolled in the Android Canary channel will receive new Canary builds on an ongoing basis, unrelated to beta and stable releases. Once beta builds for a given Android update become available, Canary devices won’t automatically move to the beta track, and will instead continue to receive periodic Canary-specific updates.
Google stresses that this new program is still meant for developers, and that typical users shouldn’t expect Canary builds to be stable enough for daily use. They’re likely to contain bugs that won’t (or shouldn’t) be present in public beta or stable builds.
A more convenient way to test ‘bleeding-edge builds’
If you’re a developer and want to enroll a compatible Pixel phone in the Canary channel, Google says you can do so using the online Android Flash Tool. Unlike the previous developer preview program, though, there’s no automatic off-ramp — you won’t get an update to the next stable Android build once it’s available. To exit the Canary channel, developers will need to manually flash a Beta or Public build.
Again, Canary builds aren’t meant for your average user looking to try new features early; Google itself says that they aren’t “the best choice for someone to use as their primary or only device.” Still, this change will give developers more immediate access to in-progress Android features throughout the Android development lifecycle, which should help ensure their apps are up to speed by the time a big new update hits the stable channel.
