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The most awaited Android N Developer Preview 4 is now live for the Nexus series devices like Nexus 6P, 5X, 6, 9, Nexus Player, and Pixel C along with Android One General Mobile 4G and Sony Xperia Z3 (D6603 and D6653). This new build brings the firmware build number NPD56N to the supported devices. This new AOSP build brings the final API level 24 support. That means developers can now publish Android N apps on the Play Store readily is support of the DP 4 in the alpha, beta and production release channels. The final API 24 SDK which is now released can be used with the Android Studio v2.1.2 and higher. You can also find the DP4 system images for the emulator as well. For more information about the DP 4 update, check out Google’s support page and the official blog as well. A full changelog is listed below. To know more on how you can get Android N onto your Android devices from any firmware (stock or custom), head over to our tutorial page on Developer Preview 3. It explains easy ways to install the DP 3 on Nexus with Android Beta Program, factory images, OTA, etc. You can also head over to the download section below to grab the latest OTA or factory images and get to the tutorials from below as well.
What’s New with Android N Developer Preview 4?
New in DP4
Android N final APIs
Developer Preview 4 includes the final APIs for the upcoming Android N platform. The new API level is 24.
Play publishing
You can now publish apps that use API level 24 to Google Play, in alpha, beta, and production release channels.
Android Studio and tools updates
Along with Developer Preview 4 we’re providing the final API 24 SDK to be used with Android Studio 2.1.2 and higher. In addition, we’re releasing updated Developer Preview 4 system images for the emulator to help test your apps.
As new updates roll out for Android Studio, you should see minor improvements in the new project wizards and AVD manager as we add enhanced support for API 24. These are primarily cosmetic changes and should not stop you from getting your app ready for an update in the Play store.
Feature and API changes
- In previous versions of Android, an app activates with all of its locale resources loaded before locale negotiation begins. Starting in Android N DP4, the system negotiates resource locales individually for each resource object before the app activates.
- As announced at Developer Preview 3, we’ve deferred the Launcher Shortcuts feature to a later release of Android. In Developer Preview 4, we’ve removed the Launcher Shortcuts APIs.
- We’ve changed the BLE Scanning behavior starting in DP4. We’ll prevent applications from starting and stopping scans more than 5 times in 30 seconds. For long running scans, we’ll convert them into opportunistic scans.
- The Multi-Window android:minimalHeight and android:minimalWidthattributes have been renamed to android:minHeight and android:minWidth.
Known Issues
- Stability
Users may encounter system instability (such as kernel panics and crashes).
Launcher
The default launcher’s All Apps tray may become unresponsive after cycling the screen off and on. Returning to the homescreen and relaunching theAll Apps tray may resolve this issue.
Setup Wizard
Crash on selecting “Not now” in “Set up email” screen.
Media
- Media playback may be unreliable on Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, including issues playing HD video.
- Occasional freeze when running the YouTube app with other apps in multi-window mode on Pixel C devices. In some cases hard reboot is required.
- Apps may have issues playing some Widevine DRM-protected content on Nexus 9 devices.
- Issues handling VP8 video on Nexus 9 devices.
- External storage
Apps may become unstable when the user moves them from internal storage to adoptable external storage (this can include SD card or devices attached over USB).
Screen zoom and multiple APKs in Google Play
On devices running Android N, Google Play services 9.0.83 incorrectly reports the current screen density rather than the stable screen density. When screen zoom is enabled on these devices, this can cause Google Play to select a version of a multi-APK app that’s designed for smaller screens. This issue is fixed in the next version of Google Play services and will be included in a later Developer Preview release.
- Vulkan support and multiple APKs in Google Play
On devices running Android N, Google Play services 9.0.83 currently reports Vulkan support but not Vulkan version. This can cause Google Play to select a version of a multi-APK app that’s designed for lower Vulkan support on devices with higher version support. Currently, the Google Play Store does not accept uploads of apps which use Vulkan version targeting. This support will be added to the Google Play Store in the future and fixed in the next version of Google Play services (to be included in a later Developer Preview release). Any N devices using the version of Google Play services 9.0.83 will continue to receive versions of apps targeting basic Vulkan support.
Accessibility
- Switch access doesn’t allow user to navigate web pages in Chrome.
- Accessibility issues for talkback users with notification dismissal, and wifi selection screen.
Android for Work
- Currently, CA certificates provisioned through DevicePolicyManager are not available to profiles other than the primary user/profile due to a preload issue. For example, this could prevent a user from connecting to a trusted server when in a Work profile. This issue will be resolved in the next Developer Preview.
Fixes for issues reported by developers
A number of issues reported by developers have been fixed, including:
- The active network state (NetworkInfo.getState() andNetworkInfo.getDetailedState()) might return incorrect values during some restricted background scenarios
- Data Saver restricts the foreground MMS mobile network request (bug 208478)
- Quick settings tiles and notifications sometimes unresponsive
- Unable to dismiss Clock notifications
- Duplication of bluetooth icon and other status icons
- Additional bluetooth connectivity fixes
Download Android N Developer Preview 4 NPD56N Factory Images
| Device | Download / Checksums |
|---|---|
| Nexus 5X “bullhead” | bullhead-npd56n-factory-996cac57.tgz MD5: 5aadba91f60de00d58dc6198ef5cc3ba SHA-1: 996cac575d83bde573315290da8f52cecc4127d2 |
| Nexus 6 “shamu” | shamu-npd56n-factory-7936bf75.tgz MD5: b7ed0db569f3bc2d6655fe8d8cea0e13 SHA-1: 7936bf75e6bfb771bd14485211a319b246311b96 |
| Nexus 6P “angler” | angler-npd56n-factory-1ce5ccad.tgz MD5: f296eccaed4e2526d6435df8cf0e8df1 SHA-1: 1ce5ccad8a3eae143e0ecd9c7afbb1be2f1d41cc |
| Nexus 9 “volantis” | volantis-npd56n-factory-8b9f997e.tgz MD5: 111c2fe5777dd6aae71fb8ef35dda9d3 SHA-1: 8b9f997ea39fdaf505527536bd346948ae1bae30 |
| Nexus 9G “volantisg” | volantisg-npd56n-factory-ef05106a.tgz MD5: 3a6f4d47b385966347bd26b7a922cd6e SHA-1: ef05106a9e3becea5673ea67d6c0cc21a2ec09d4 |
| Nexus Player “fugu” | fugu-npd56n-factory-a51674a1.tgz MD5: b75dc745a64848ea24124db8fa9252ed SHA-1: a51674a1303b17fec0405d513f9c0fe9f225780f |
| Pixel C “ryu” | ryu-npd56n-factory-e36c49b1.tgz MD5: 0a2d660b09e19614a5b3573487b88066 SHA-1: e36c49b184843cdfe10278aebc04ce50b6d670b6 |
| General Mobile 4G (Android One) “seed” | seed_l8150-npd56n-factory-dd5d4fd2.tgz MD5: 3420581b969af777753141dacc7f73b9 SHA-1: dd5d4fd203f9c5dad658434c0ff370c411b78835 |
| Sony Xperia Z3 (D6603 and D6653) | Download: Xperia Companion For more information, see Try Android N Developer Preview for Xperia Z3. |
Download Android N Developer Preview 4 NPD56N OTA Update Zip Files
| Device | Download / Checksums |
|---|---|
| Nexus 5X “bullhead” | bullhead-ota-npd56n-dd5c12ee.zip MD5: af9a82e9a78925ca9c1c7f5f6fb851ec SHA-1: e4aabd5634b7ebdeffa877cd9e49244c0be326e4 |
| Nexus 6 “shamu” | shamu-ota-npd56n-2818fd62.zip MD5: d8df396b187a8667889260e5464bd676 SHA-1: c03c8ef8be587a574565855d4faa526254794e03 |
| Nexus 6P “angler” | angler-ota-npd56n-d2f2611c.zip MD5: c3c206892d414d4fc7da892ff840eada SHA-1: 2bdc79409ace5e163ef014ae51977d0a71b83df5 |
| Nexus 9 “volantis” | volantis-ota-npd56n-42228a60.zip MD5: c80cf483d8b3c014fc7b27f80957a158 SHA-1: f437829320f47ea3aa5f8b70ce2f0bb3d30b3f4f |
| Nexus 9G “volantisg” | volantisg-ota-npd56n-9b4dbaac.zip MD5: 9e55ac1650e4f07a662bafa7f082e91c SHA-1: b9982be56c2817d122664869a1fbe9b13e9c72f7 |
| Nexus Player “fugu” | fugu-ota-npd56n-b305968a.zip MD5: dfc980acad6772d8473ccaa9cbbb681a SHA-1: d7bf8192649dea970afda165d181b4eea07abd7d |
| Pixel C “ryu” | ryu-ota-npd56n-5bf2fd66.zip MD5: 1699e4bacfbef16a75ae6cf3f2e3d886 SHA-1: e20f3a8e43fcdd6acef21da80894afc8f9474e33 |
| General Mobile 4G (Android One) “seed” | seed_l8150-ota-npd56n-a322696c.zip MD5: afc0e363ad2fd7418423e189a339a8e9 SHA-1: fc4d818878df51894eac29932dd0e9f6511329c6 |
How to Install Android N Developer Preview 4 NPD56N Factory Images On Nexus, and Android One devices?
To know how to install OTA on Nexus devices, check out this tutorial: How to Install Android OTA on Nexus Devices Using ADB Sideload or Stock Recovery.
How to Install Android N Developer Preview 4 NPD56N With OTA Update zip files On Nexus, Android One, and Sony devices?
To know how to install Factory images on nexus devices, check out this tutorial: How to Install Android N Developer Preview on Nexus Devices.
How to Install Android N Developer Preview 4 NPD56N on Sony Xperia Z3 (D6603 and D6653) with PC Companion?
To know how to install factory images on Sony devices with Sony PC Companion, check out this tutorial: How to Install Android N Developer Preview On Sony Xperia Z3.
See: How to Root Android N Developer Preview With SuperSU And CF Auto Root. Like and share us on social media. For queries, comment down below.