During Google I/O 2017, Google announced a new version with core IDE changes. Android Studio 3 comes with many new features which makes Android development better than ever.
Table of Contents
Java 8 language features support
Android Studio 3 introduces built-in support for a subset of Java 8 language features and and third-party libraries. If your project are using Jack, Retrolambda, or DexGuard, Android Studio will use features from these libraries.
Kotlin support
It is finally here! Kotlin is now official supported by Google. In AS 3, you can create a Kotlin-based project using New Project Wizard. To convert old projects to Kotlin one, use Code > Convert Java File to Kotlin File.
New Android Profiler
The new profiler can be access via View > Tool Windows > Android Profiler. It now provides details for Network Profiler, CPU Profiler, and Memory Profiler.
Instant Apps support
Instant App has been introduced for a while but limited to certain developers. This feature is now open to every developer. Two new modules – Instant App modules and Feature modules – are introduced in new Android Studio to help developer create apps.
APK Debugger
You can debug and profile an APK file without having to build it from an Android Studio project. However, the file needs to be debuggable which means no encryption of any types.
New Device File Explorer
The new file explorer will allow you to access, view, copy, and delete files on a device. The tool can be accessed via View > Tool Windows > Device File Explorer. It cannot access un-debuggable files.
Android O Developer Preview
Android Things templates
Layout Editor and Inspector improvements
The Layout Editor and Layout Inspector in Android Studio 3.0 contain a number of new features and enhancements which makes it easier to create and debug layout.
Google’s Maven repository
The Android Support Library Maven dependencies are now available outside of the Android SDK Manager in a new Maven repository. You can add Google Maven URL, “https://maven.google.com”, to build.gradle.
APK Analyzer improvements
APK Analyzer adds support for showing class’s fields, filtering options, identifying nodes which are not defined in DEX file, and adding capabilities to the DEX viewer of APKs built with Proguard enabled.
New Android Plugin for Gradle
New Android plugin (3.0.0+) will address build performance issues for Android projects with a large number of modules.
New Android Emulator features
Android Studio 3 starts supporting API Level 24 system images and Android O Beta system images. Google Play Store is now built-in to these OS images. It increases OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics performance on emulator system images and support OpenGL ES 3.0 on system images for API level 24 on Windows and Linux devices. The new emulator also makes it easier to report bugs for both Android Studio and your apps.
