Android Studio Dolphin Extends Jetpack Compose, Wear OS, and Test Automation Integration

The latest release of Android Studio, dubbed Dolphin, improves Jetpack Compose screen previews, extends Wear OS support, and introduces Gradle Managed Virtual Devices to simplify test automation.

Meta Launches New Chromium-Based WebView for Android

Meta has been developing its own Chromium-based WebView for Android for a few years and has now started rolling it out to users of its Facebook app. The new WebView, which has not been open-sourced yet, improves security, stability, and performance, says Meta.

Android Gradle Plugin 8.0 Improves Build Times, Requires Updating Third-Party Plugins and Libraries

Google has announced the upcoming Android Gradle Plugin (AGP), version 8.0, reduces build times by removing the Transform APIs and replacing them through the Artifacts API and Instrumentation API. All third-party plugins and apps relying on them are required to migrate to the new APIs.

Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile Enters Beta

Created by JetBrains to enable using Kotlin to build iOS and Android apps with native UI from a single codebase, Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile has exited the experimental phase and is now available in beta.

Safe Mode is Lyft's Approach to Handle Feature Flags Incidents

Feature flags are a useful tool to conduct A/B experiments and to roll out changes in a controlled way. To make sure that their use does not end up disappointing users when a change causes a crash or degrades the user experience, Lyft created Safe Mode, specifically aimed to prevent crash loops on launch.