Google is changing how it provides early access to pre-release versions of Android to developers and early adopters. The company announced on Thursday that its Android Developer Previews would be replaced with a new Android Canary release channel, which will offer rolling releases of the operating system, with access to features are currently in development. Google says it will continue to offer a beta programme, which will offer a more polished experience alongside the always updating Canary release channel.
Why Google Moved to a Continuous Android Canary Release Channel
Before the Android Canary release channel was announced, Google would offer access to early versions of its upcoming Android releases via Developer Previews. These would be available during the earliest part of the development cycle, and the company would stop rolling out updates once the next version of Android reached the beta stage.
Instead, Google says the new Canary channel will offer a continuous stream of Android platform builds, and these are delivered in the form of OTA updates, just like regular, stable versions. These builds will also include new features or changes to the platform that might not arrive on the beta releases.
It’s worth noting that you shouldn’t flash these builds on your daily driver, even though Google says that they pass tests and are briefly tested with internal users. These platform builds should be considered the bleeding edge of Android releases, and should only be flashed on a secondary device.
Developers who want to try out the new Canary builds can use the Android Flash Tool to install the latest release. Once it is up and running, future builds will arrive as OTA updates. These builds will continue throughout the year, alongside the beta programme.
Leaving the Canary channel will also require the latest stable release (or beta build) to be flashed to the secondary device. Early adopters will need to back up their data while joining and exiting the Canary channel, as the data partition must be erased.
