Posted by Xavier Ducrohet – Tech Lead, Android Studio and Adarsh Fernando – Group Product Supervisor, Android Studio

Final 12 months, we doubled our launch frequency for Android Studio with the introduction of Characteristic Drops, a change designed to convey you new options and enhancements extra rapidly. At present, we’re excited to announce the following evolution in our launch schedule: we’re shifting to month-to-month secure releases of Android Studio.

This new cadence means you’ll be capable to get your arms on the most recent options and significant enhancements, sooner than ever earlier than. This is what you may anticipate: each few months, we’ll introduce a model that accommodates the most recent IntelliJ platform model, akin to Android Studio Narwhal primarily based on IntelliJ 2025.1. You’ll then see Characteristic Drops every month that embrace necessary bug fixes and new performance you’ll wish to check out, till it’s time to launch Android Studio with the following platform model of IntelliJ.

You’ve truly already skilled this new launch cadence with Android Studio Narwhal! Within the final Characteristic Drop launch we have been capable of take options akin to Agent Mode from Canary to the Secure channel sooner than ever earlier than, making it potential so that you can check out new options, sooner!

Why Month-to-month Releases?

You informed us ready for the following main launch to get a essential bug repair or a quality-of-life enchancment might be irritating. With the transfer to month-to-month releases, we will ship these updates to you with out the lengthy delays. This implies you will have entry to the options you need and the fixes you want, proper whenever you want them.
It is necessary to notice that the Android Emulator and the Android Gradle Plugin will proceed to be up to date individually from Android Studio at a tempo of each two months. And, as at all times, you need not replace these elements to obtain and use the most recent secure model of the IDE every month.

Our Dedication to High quality

A sooner launch cadence does not imply a compromise on high quality. In actual fact, our potential to launch extra regularly is a direct results of our long-term funding in our testing infrastructure. This effort started with Venture Marble, a concerted effort to enhance the standard and testing of Android Studio. Since then, we have been constantly bettering and tooling our testing technique to be extra dependable, and to get suggestions from these checks sooner. Final 12 months, we reached some extent the place we might confidently double our releases, and now, we’re able to take the following step with month-to-month updates. This implies you’ll see releases 2X extra usually than earlier than!

We’re additionally persevering with to supply early entry to stable-ready releases. Beforehand, we’ve offered these alternatives first via Beta releases. With our investments in detecting and addressing points earlier, we’re capable of take a launch from Canary straight into our Launch Candidate (RC) channel with a stable-ready degree of high quality and polish. This offers you an opportunity to check out the most recent options and enhancements earlier than they’re launched to the secure channel and to supply us with helpful suggestions.

Replace Month-to-month and Assist Us Enhance

We encourage you to replace to the most recent secure model of Android Studio every month to benefit from the most recent options and enhancements. Your suggestions is important to serving to us make Android Studio one of the best it may be.

This is how one can get entangled:

• Obtain Android Studio Narwhal 3 Characteristic Drop: It’s at present out there within the Canary channel and is one of the simplest ways to get early entry to new options and to supply us with suggestions earlier than a launch is finalized. If you would like a extra secure construct, obtain this model as quickly because the Launch Candidate turns into out there.
• Report a bug: If you happen to encounter a problem, please tell us by reporting a bug. This helps us to determine and repair points extra rapidly.

We’re enthusiastic about this new chapter for Android Studio and we’re assured that it’s going to allow you to to construct higher apps, sooner. As at all times, you might be a part of our vibrant Android developer neighborhood on LinkedIn, Medium, YouTube, or X.