Google Adds a Canary Channel to Android

Google is adding a Canary release channel to its Android pre-release program so developers can test new features sooner.

“To better support you and provide earlier, more consistent access to in-development features, we are announcing a significant evolution in our pre-release program,” Google’s Dan Galpin explains. “Moving forward, the Android platform will have a Canary release channel, which will replace the previous developer preview program. This Canary release channel will function alongside the existing beta program.”

To date, Google has offered developer previews for that audience and beta previews for those with a supported Pixel device. But the developer previews weren’t tied to a specific release channel, requiring developers to flash their devices each time a new cycle started. As bad, the developer previews and beta previews didn’t overlap, so once an Android release moved into the beta phase, the developer preview track would end.

With the new Canary release channel, Google is providing developers with a program that runs in parallel with the beta, and it can be installed using a standard and (occasionally) non-destructive over-the-air (OTA) installer. And developers can access upcoming Android features as soon as possible, including some that might not make it to stable.

“The Canary channel is intended for developers that want to explore and test with the earliest pre-release Android APIs and potential behavior changes,” Galpin adds. “Builds from the Canary channel will have passed our automated tests as well as experienced a short test cycle with internal users. You should expect bugs and breaking changes. These bleeding-edge builds will not be the best choice for someone to use as their primary or only device.”

If you’re a developer who wants to get started with Canary immediately, you can use the Android Flash Tool to get the most recent Canary build onto a supported Pixel device. After that, you will get future updates OTA. And you can exit the program at any time, though that will require flashing to a Beta or stable build, which is destructive. You can also access Android Canary releases through the Android emulator in Android Studio: Canary builds will be available normally from the SDK Manager going forward.