docs/html/preview/support.jd

page.title=Support and Release Notes
page.tags="preview", "developer preview"
page.image=images/cards/card-support_16-9_2x.png

@jd:body

<div class="cols" style=
"background-color:#f2daf5; padding: 5px 0;margin-bottom:1em; text-align:center;">
<h3>
    Developer Preview 3 is now available
  </h3>
  <p>Includes final SDK and near-final system images</p>
   <div style="margin:auto 1em">
 <ul class="dac-section-links">
    <li class="dac-section-link">
      <a href="#preview3-notes">
      <span class="dac-sprite dac-auto-chevron"></span>
      Read the Notes</a>
    </li>

    <li class="dac-section-link">
      <a href="#preview3-get">
      <span class="dac-sprite dac-auto-chevron"></span>
      Get the Update</a>
    </li>

    <li class="dac-section-link">
      <a href="https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">
      <span class="dac-sprite dac-auto-chevron"></span>
      Report Issues</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
  </div>
</div>

<p>
  Two primary support channels are available to you when developing and testing
  with the Android M Developer Preview. If you've encountered bugs or have
  feedback about the M Developer Preview, you can <a href=
  "https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">create an issue</a> on
  our issue tracker. We'll triage the issue for further review and provide
  updates as needed.
</p>

<p>
  To discuss issues or ideas with other developers working with Android M, join
  the <a href="http://g.co/dev/AndroidMDevPreview">M Developer Preview Google+
  community</a>.
</p>

<h2 id="preview3-notes">
  Developer Preview 3
</h2>

<div class="wrap">
  <div class="cols">
    <div class="col-9of16">
      <p>
        <em>Date: August 2015<br>
        Build: MPA44I<br>
        Hardware support: Nexus 5, 6, 9, Player<br>
        Emulator support: x86 &amp; ARM 32/64-bit<br>
        Google Play services: 7.8</em>
      </p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

<p>
  Developer Preview 3 is the <strong>final incremental update</strong>
  to the Android M preview platform that was originally released in May 2015.
  The update includes <strong>final APIs and the official Android 6.0 SDK</strong>,
  as well as near-final system images for testing your apps. The
  updated system images bring a variety of fixes and enhancements across
  the system, including those related to issues reported by developers
  through the external issue tracker.
</p>

<p>
  If you are currently developing or testing on Android M, you should <strong>update
  your environment</strong> as soon as possible, so that
  you can begin <strong>final compatibility testing</strong> in preparation for
  the public release to device manufacturers later this year.</p>

<p class="important">Updating to the Android 6.0 SDK and the latest
   system images 3 ensures that you are building against final
   platform APIs in <strong>API level 23</strong> and testing
   against final behaviors. If you are just getting started,
   follow the instructions in <a href=
  "/preview/setup-sdk.html">Set up the Preview SDK</a>.
</p>

<h3>
  What's included
</h3>

<p>
  Developer Preview 3 includes the official Android 6.0
  SDK as well as updated preview system images, documentation,
  and samples for developing against the Android 6.0
  development platform.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    <strong>SDK platform</strong> and <strong>system images</strong> (Nexus and
    emulator) for building and testing. You can download the Android 6.0 SDK and tools from
    the SDK Manager, and the system images are available by over-the-air (OTA)
    update or download (see below).
  </li>

  <li>
    <strong>Updated documentation</strong>. The <a href=
    "{@docRoot}preview/behavior-changes.html">Behavior Changes</a>, <a href=
    "{@docRoot}preview/api-overview.html">API Overview</a>, and <a href=
    "{@docRoot}preview/features/runtime-permissions.html">Permissions</a> documents have
    been updated to reflect the latest changes in the platform. An updated
    <a href="/preview/download.html">Developer Documentation download
    package</a> is available, including full reference docs and API diff
    reports. Reference documentation is also now <a
    href="{@docRoot}reference/packages.html">available online</a>.
  </li>

  <li>
    <strong>Translations</strong> of the documentation are available. Use
    the language selector at the bottom right corner of any page to switch
    languages. Note that some of the translated docs are not yet updated for
    Developer Preview 3.
  </li>

  <li>The <a href="{@docRoot}preview/samples.html">Android M code samples</a> are also
  updated to account for API and behavior changes:
    <ul>
      <li>
        <a href=
        "https://github.com/googlesamples/android-RuntimePermissions">RuntimePermissions</a>
        and <a href=
        "https://github.com/googlesamples/android-RuntimePermissionsBasic">RuntimePermissionsBasic</a>
        are updated to reflect latest permissions API changes, including
        <code>shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale()</code>.
      </li>
      <li>
        Other samples are updated to support runtime permissions.
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h3 id="changes">
  Key changes
</h3>
<ul>
  <li>General
    <ul>
      <li>Updated the Fingerprint API to enables better error reporting,
        better fingerprint enrollment experience, and enumeration support for greater
        reliability.</li>
      <li>Modified app access to BLE and Wi-Fi scans to require the location permisssion when they
        target Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher. Apps targeting API 22 or earlier can
        still perform BTLE and WiFi scans, but only when they are in the foreground. While in the background, those apps will get no results from BTLE and WiFi scans.</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Permission changes
    <ul>
      <li>Updated the user interface for permissions and enhanced some of the permissions
        behaviors.</li>
      <li>The {@link android.Manifest.permission#GET_ACCOUNTS} permission is now a member of the
        {@link android.Manifest.permission_group#CONTACTS} permission group and it has a
        {@code android:protectionLevel} of {@code dangerous}. This change means that when
        targeting Android 6.0 (API level 23), you must check for and request this permission if
        your app requires it.
      </li>

      <li>The {@code android.permission.READ_PROFILE} and {@code android.permission.WRITE_PROFILE}
       permissions have been removed from the {@link android.Manifest.permission_group#CONTACTS}
       permission group.
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  For a complete list of changes, including renamed and removed APIs, see the API Diff report for
  <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/23/changes.html">API level 22 to 23</a>.
</p>

<h3 id="ki">
  Known issues
</h3>

<ul>
  <li>General issues:
    <ul>
      <li>On LTE devices, including Nexus 9, GPS is not functioning properly, which may
        interfere with navigation services.
      </li>
      <li>During Hangouts calls, users may experience distorted or low audio on some devices.
      </li>
      <li>The Google Apps Device Policy app bundled with MPA44G is unable to set up an Android for
Work Profile, so you cannot create a new Work Profile with that version of the app. This issue is
resolved in the Google Apps Device Policy app bundled with MPA44I. Other apps that provide Android
for Work functionality remain unaffected on either build.
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  For a complete list of reported issues, please refer to the <a href=
  "https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list">open issues list</a> on the
  Developer Preview <a href=
  "https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">issue tracker</a>.
</p>

<h3 id="preview3-get">
  Get Developer Preview 3
</h3>

<p>
  You can download the official Android 6.0 SDK platform and
  Developer Preview 3 emulator images from the SDK Manager.
</p>

<p>
  Developer Preview 3 system images for supported Nexus devices are available
  by download and by over-the-air (OTA) update. The OTA update is available
  only to supported devices that are currently running a Developer Preview build.
  If your device is running a Developer Preview build, you should automatically receive
  the OTA update within a few days of availability.
</p>

<p>
  For instructions on how to download and flash your device to the latest Developer
  Preview, see the links and instructions on the <a href=
  "{@docRoot}preview/download.html">Downloads</a> page.
</p>

<p>
  For instructions on how to start developing and testing with Android 6.0
  Marshmallow, read <a href="{@docRoot}preview/setup-sdk.html">Setting
  up the SDK</a>.
</p>

<h2 id="preview2-notes">
  Developer Preview 2
</h2>

<div class="wrap">
  <div class="cols">
    <div class="col-9of16">
      <p>
        <em>Date: July 2015<br>
        Builds: MPZ79M (Nexus 5, 6, 9), MPZ79N (Nexus Player)<br>
        Hardware support: Nexus 5, 6, 9, Player<br>
        Emulator support: x86 &amp; ARM 32/64-bit<br>
        Google Play services: 7.6</em>
      </p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

<p>
  Android M Developer Preview 2 is an <strong>incremental update</strong> to
  the Android M preview platform that was originally released in May 2015. The
  update includes a variety of enhancements and bug fixes made across the
  system, including those related to issues reported by developers through the
  external issue tracker.
</p>

<p>
  If you are currently developing or testing on Android M, you should
  <strong>update your environment</strong> to Developer Preview 2 as soon as
  possible. This ensures that you are building with the latest platform APIs
  and testing against the latest behaviors. If you are just getting started
  with the Android M Developer Preview SDK, follow the instructions in <a href=
  "{@docRoot}preview/setup-sdk.html">Set up the Preview SDK</a>, then update your
  environment for Developer Preview 2.
</p>

<h3>
  What's included
</h3>

<p>
  Developer Preview 2 includes an updated SDK with system images,
  documentation, and samples for developing against the latest Android M
  platform.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    <strong>SDK platform</strong> and <strong>system images</strong> (Nexus and
    emulator) for building and testing. You can download the updated tools from
    the SDK Manager, and the system images are available by over-the-air (OTA)
    update or download (see below).
  </li>

  <li>
    <strong>Updated documentation</strong>. The <a href=
    "{@docRoot}preview/behavior-changes.html">Behavior Changes</a>, <a href=
    "{@docRoot}preview/api-overview.html">API Overview</a>, and <a href=
    "{@docRoot}preview/features/runtime-permissions.html">Permissions</a> documents have
    been updated to reflect the latest changes in the platform. An updated
    <a href="{@docRoot}preview/download.html">Developer Documentation download
    package</a> is available, including full reference docs and API diff
    reports.
  </li>

  <li>
    <strong>Translations</strong> of the documentation are now available. Use
    the language selector at the bottom right corner of any page to switch
    languages. Note that some of the translated docs are not yet updated for
    Developer Preview 2 (coming soon).
  </li>

  <li>The <a href="{@docRoot}preview/samples.html">Android M code samples</a> are also
  updated to account for API and behavior changes:
    <ul>
      <li>
        <a href=
        "https://github.com/googlesamples/android-RuntimePermissions">RuntimePermissions</a>
        / <a href=
        "https://github.com/googlesamples/android-RuntimePermissionsBasic">RuntimePermissionsBasic</a>
        are updated to reflect latest permissions API changes, including
        <code>shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale()</code>.
      </li>
      <li>
        <a href=
        "https://github.com/googlesamples/android-FingerprintDialog">FingerprintDialog</a>
        adds a flow to ask for passwords when new fingerprints are added as
        well as a preference if the app will use fingerprints as a method of
        authentication.
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h3 id="changes-p2">
  Key changes
</h3>

<ul>
  <li>Permissions changes
    <ul>
      <li>The <code>android.permission.USE_FINGERPRINT</code> permission now
      has "normal" protection level, so it is no longer necessary to request
      this permission directly from the user. The <code>USE_FINGERPRINT</code>
      permission enables fingerprints to be enabled for authentication, but
      does not give the requesting app access to the enrollment/fingerprint
      administration flow.
      </li>

      <li>The <code>android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE</code> permission
      has protection level "dangerous", meaning that apps wanting to write to
      external storage will need to request permission from the user at
      runtime. Both <code>READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE</code> and
      <code>WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE</code> are members of the
      <code>STORAGE</code> permission group.
      </li>

      <li>Remote Bluetooth/Wi-Fi MAC's now require either the
      <code>android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION</code> or
      <code>android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION</code> permission.
      </li>

      <li>Some accounts and identity permissions are moved to
      <code>CONTACTS</code> permissions group and others are removed or granted
      based on account type. In particular,
      <code>android.permission.USE_CREDENTIALS</code>,
      <code>android.permission.MANAGE_ACCOUNTS</code>, and
      <code>android.permission.AUTHENTICATE_ACCOUNTS</code> are ungrouped
      pending further changes in a later release.
      </li>

      <li>The Wi-Fi permissions
      <code>android.permission.CHANGE_WIFI_STATE</code>,
      <code>android.permission.CHANGE_WIMAX_STATE</code>, and
      <code>android.permission.CHANGE_WIFI_MULTICAST_STATE</code> now have
      protection level "normal".
      </li>

      <li>The Bluetooth permissions <code>android.permission.BLUETOOTH</code>
      and <code>android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN</code> now have protection
      level "normal".
      </li>

      <li>Bookmarks and subscribed feeds permissions are removed.
      </li>

      <li>Apps included in the system image are no longer granted dangerous
      permissions automatically. All apps should check for and request
      permissions at runtime.
      </li>

      <li>Introduces the utility method
      <code>Activity.shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale(String)</code>, which
      lets your app see whether users have previously rejected a permission
      request. This lets you know that your app should explain the the user why
      it needs that permission. For more information see the <a href=
      "{@docRoot}preview/features/runtime-permissions.html#explain-need">Permissions</a>
      developer guide.
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>Other changes
    <ul>
      <li>The <code>android.app.AssistContent</code> and
      <code>android.app.AssistStructure</code> classes are moved into a new
      package, <code>android.app.assist</code>.
      </li>

      <li>Bluetooth Stylus APIs are updated and include new callback events.
      The <code>View.OnStylusButtonPressListener</code> class is renamed to
      <code>View.OnContextClickListener</code> and
      <code>GestureDetector.OnStylusButtonPressListener</code> class to <code>
        GestureDetector.OnContextClickListener</code>.
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  For a complete list of changes, including renamed and removed APIs, please
  refer to the API Diff Reports included in the <a href=
  "{@docRoot}preview/download.html#docs">Developer Documentation download package</a>.
</p>

<h3 id="ki-p2">
  Known issues
</h3>

<ul>
  <li>General issues:
    <ul>
      <li>The system Messenger app crashes on the 64-bit emulator.</li>
      <li>After updating to Developer Preview 2, Contacts sync experiences
      intermittent issues. The workaround is to clear and re-sync Contact Storage
      data after update. To clear data, go to <strong>Settings &gt; Apps &gt; Show
      system &gt; Contacts Storage</strong>. Select "Storage" and then
      <strong>Clear data</strong>.</li>
      <li>In YouTube app, it's not possible to share a video. The share window is
      blank.</li>
      <li>The bundled Google Apps Device Policy app included in Developer Preview 2 is unable to
      properly set up an Android for Work Profile, so you cannot create a new Work Profile with this
      app after you update. This issue is specific to the Google Apps Device Policy app, and not the
      Android for Work platform (or our partner EMM providers). As a workaround for users of the
      Google Apps Device Policy app, be sure to create a Work Profile in Developer Preview 1 before
      updating to Developer Preview 2.
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Issues specific to MPZ79N on Nexus Player:
    <ul>
      <li>Bluetooth share crashes after clearing data. Please <strong>do not
      clear app data for system services</strong>, otherwise you will need to Factory
      Reset your device</li>
      <li>Remote control can experience intermittent connectivity issues. </li>
      <li>Movies show black screen with some ANRs on exiting the video.</li>
      <li>In YouTube app, lower-resolution videos have a green bar at the top
      and some color-ghosting</li>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  For a complete list of reported issues, please refer to the <a href=
  "https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list">open issues list</a> on the
  Developer Preview <a href=
  "https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/">issue tracker</a>.
</p>

<h3 id="preview2-get">
  Get Developer Preview 2
</h3>

<p>
  You can download the Developer Preview 2 platform and emulator images from
  the SDK Manager.
</p>

<p>
  Developer Preview 2 system images for supported Nexus devices are available
  by download and by over-the-air (OTA) update. The OTA update is available
  only to supported devices that are currently running Developer Preview 1. If
  your devices are running Developer Preview 1, you should automatically receive
  the OTA update within a few days of availability.
</p>

<p>
  If you are just getting started with Android M Developer Preview, and want
  to receive Developer Preview 2 via OTA, download the appropriate
  Developer Preview 1 <a href="{@docRoot}preview/download_mp1.html#images">
  system image</a>, and flash it to your device. Then,
  leave the device powered on for several hours. It registers with the
  OTA service, and receives Developer Preview 2 by OTA.
</p>

<p>
  For instructions on how to download and flash your device to the Developer
  Preview, see the links and instructions on the <a href=
  "{@docRoot}preview/download.html">Downloads</a> page.
</p>

<p>
  For instructions on how to start developing and testing with Android M, read
  <a href="{@docRoot}preview/setup-sdk.html">Setting up the SDK</a>.
</p>

<h2 id="preview1-notes">
  Developer Preview 1
</h2>

<div class="wrap">
  <div class="cols">
    <div class="col-6of12">
      <p>
        <em>Date: May 2015<br>
        Build: MPZ44Q<br>
        Hardware support: Nexus 5, 6, 9, Player<br>
        Emulator support: x86 &amp; ARM (32/64-bit)<br>
        Google Play services: 7.5</em>
      </p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

<p>
  Initial release.
</p>