Episode 198: Location location location, revisited
Release Date: 06/26/2023
Android AI Tools: Vibe coding, sub-agents, and the Android CLI
Android Developers Backstage
Learn how the latest Android Studio AI features can streamline your daily development tasks. While the original agent mode chat was helpful, we rebuilt it with a re-architected experience that supports parallel tool calls and background sub-agents. For instance, you can now have an agent analyze code in the background while you continue working on a different feature. Try out the updated Journeys feature to see how plain text instructions can automatically test your critical user paths. Subscribe to our YouTube channel → Speakers: Tor Norbye, Chet Haase, Xavier Durcohet, Esteban de la...
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The inside story of Jetpack Compose
Android Developers Backstage
Discover the origin story of Jetpack Compose and how it changed the way Android developers build applications. We discuss the original challenges of unbundling the UI toolkit from the operating system to deliver faster updates. By adopting Kotlin and a declarative approach, the team reduced the boilerplate necessary to build user interfaces. While earlier systems relied heavily on XML, Jetpack Compose shifts to a code-first model for easier iteration. Listen to the team share their insights on modifiers, performance improvements, and the future of Android design. Resources: Android is...
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What’s so great about R8?
Android Developers Backstage
Join hosts Tor and Romain as they sit down with Søren Gjesse, Chris Craik, and Shai Barack. This week, the team dives into R8, the whole-program optimizer that handles the "last mile" of your code before it runs on a device. Learn why implementing R8 is effectively like giving your users a "free hardware upgrade" by making their current devices perform like models that are years newer. Enable app optimization → https://goo.gle/R8-Optimizer Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:23 - What is R8? 1:16 - R8 vs D8 1:40 - Tree Shaking & Dead Code 4:14 - Handling Reflection 10:10 - Performance...
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XR: Virtually here
Android Developers Backstage
Join hosts Tor, Chet, and Romain as they sit down with Diego Perez (Android Studio) and Patrick Fuentes (Developer Relations) to explore the new frontiers of Android XR. This episode of Android Developers Backstage breaks down the latest announcements and Developer Preview 3, offering a technical look at how developers can start building for spatial environments today. Resources: Hello Android XR sample → https://goo.gle/3Nbnrre Build for AI Glasses with the Android XR SDK Developer Preview 3 → https://goo.gle/49lUjGr Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 4:42 - Latest announcements...
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Bring your own model - Android Developers Backstage
Android Developers Backstage
In this episode Tor and Chet chat with Raluca Saucic and Eugene Yakavets about the new "Bring Your Own Model" feature in Android Studio which allows using other models than Gemini for agent mode, including models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and more. We also discuss using local models via Ollama and LM Studio. Resources: Use a remote model → Use a local model → Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:49 - Bring your own model 4:13 - Bring your own key 7:24 - Anthropic model 13:17- How often do you need to remind the model of the context? 17:40 - Thinking vs planning 20:25 - What happens when...
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From natural language to UI tests: A deep dive into Journeys for Android Studio
Android Developers Backstage
Hosts Tor and Chet are joined by Adarsh Fernando, a Product Manager, and Ray Buse, a Software Engineer, to discuss Journeys for Android Studio. Powered by Gemini's vision and reasoning, Journeys aims to simplify end-to-end test creation and maintenance by converting the natural language you provide to describe the steps and assertions for each test, resulting in actions and evaluations performed directly on your app. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:46 - Journeys: New AI-powered testing approach 3:40 - How Journeys Works with Gemini 4:27 - The natural language advantage 5:49 - Real-world use case:...
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Android developer verification
Android Developers Backstage
To protect users from malware and scams, Android has announced a new layer of security: developer verification. While this is nothing new for Google Play Store apps, Android is extending this to the entire Android ecosystem. Host Tor is joined by Matthew, Patrick, Naheed, and Raz to discuss this latest security update that deters bad actors and creates a safer environment.
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Autofill in Compose
Android Developers Backstage
In this episode of Android Back Stage, Hosts Tor, and Chet are joined by Melba and Ralston, Software Engineers on the Compose Team, to talk about Autofill in Compose. Learn about Autofill services, best practices, and more! Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:40 - What is Autofill? 1:21 - Autofill team journey and semantics 2:15 - Defining semantics in Compose 3:29 - Bridging views and Compose for Autofill 4:23 - Developer Experience: Early autofill in Compose 7:02 - Autofill services and communication flow 7:59 - User authentication and multiple autofill services 12:53 - The Autofill flow: From tap to...
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Back it up, bring it back: No data left behind
Android Developers Backstage
It can be a draw when setting up a new device. Some info transfers, while some don’t. Learn how developers can ensure the best user experience when people backup and restore an Android device. Hosts Tor and Chet are joined by Graham and Piyush on the Android Consumer Experience team and Alon on the Android Studio team to discuss Android backup and restore. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction & the user pain point 1:38 - Why backup fails: Developer challenges 4:00 - Evolution of backup testing: From scripts to Android Studio 7:15 - Beyond testing: Backup for developer workflow 8:50...
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Bot to the Future: Two Years Later
Android Developers Backstage
Join Tor and Siva Velusamy and Sandhya Mohan from the Android Studio team to learn about the latest updates to Studio Bot (Gemini in Android Studio) that dropped at Google I/O 2025 including Agent Mode. Building on their conversation from two years ago about the Studio Bot, they explore Gemini’s role in every stage of development, from design to building, testing, and maintenance, the future of coding companions, and more. Studio Bot podcast episode →
info_outlineSince our original episode on location nearly nine years ago, a lot has happened in the location support for Android. In this episode, Wyatt Riley and Roy Want answer all of Tor's questions about how it works and cover recent developments like indoor location, elevation, and some tips for developers.
Wyatt, Roy and Tor.
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Precise indoor location
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Wi-Fi Alliance(WFA) : Wi-Fi Location(TM) demonstrated at a recent WFA member event
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Android Developer resources for Wi-Fi RTT (IEEE 802.11mc) Location
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Google Play Store has three apps that demonstrate Wi-Fi RTT (IEEE 802.11mc) capabilities for devices with 11mc support.
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WifitRttLocator (phone positioning in a building with 11mc capable Access Points)
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WifiRttScan (Phone to Access Point ranging)
WifiNanScan (Phone to phone ranging)
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