Android Studio 2.1 launches, Android N support in tow

Android N marches ever closer to its final release, with two developer preview releases to its name so far and more to come. Android N brings a number of refinements to the table, as well as tons of new APIs and other tricks up its sleeves. Of course, many of these features really won’t be apparent unless app developers bake them in and that’s where Android Studio 2.1 comes to play.

Initially released as a preview last month, Android Studio 2.1 has now formally launched in stable form. Considering the major 2.0 update just arrived at the beginning of the month, this new update doesn’t nearly as many changes, but it does introduce support for the Android N Preview SDK, the ability to use the new Jack compiler, better Java 8 support, improvements to AS 2.0’s Instant Run feature, and more.

Easily one of the most significant changes here is the support for Android N, which means developers have plenty of time to get their apps running smoothly in time for the final release of Android N. However, the Jack compiler support is probably considered equally as big of a deal (or more so for some developers) as it allows you to use Lambda Expressions, as well as new Android N APIs.

You can download the new version of the SDK here, or you can upgrade directly from within the application’s navigation menu (Help> Check for Updates in Win/Linux and Android Studio> Check for Updates on OSX).