1 page.title=Android 2.2 APIs 2 sdk.platform.version=2.2 3 sdk.platform.apiLevel=8 4 sdk.platform.majorMinor=minor 5 6 @jd:body 7 8 <div id="qv-wrapper"> 9 <div id="qv"> 10 11 <h2>In this document</h2> 12 <ol> 13 <li><a href="#features">Platform Highlights</a></li> 14 <li><a href="#api-level">API Level</a></li> 15 <li><a href="#api">Framework API Changes</a> 16 17 </ol> 18 </li> 19 </ol> 20 21 <h2>Reference</h2> 22 <ol> 23 <li><a 24 href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}/changes.html">API 25 Differences Report »</a> </li> 26 </ol> 27 28 <h2>See Also</h2> 29 <ol> 30 <li><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/exploring.html">Exploring the SDK</a></li> 31 </ol> 32 33 </div> 34 </div> 35 36 <p> 37 <em>API Level:</em> <strong>{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}</strong></p> 38 39 <p>Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} is a {@sdkPlatformMajorMinor} platform release including user 40 features, developer features, API changes, and bug 41 fixes. For information on developer features and API changes, see the 42 <a href="#api">Framework API</a> section.</p> 43 44 <p>For developers, the Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} platform is available as a 45 downloadable component for the Android SDK. The downloadable platform includes 46 an Android library and system image, as well as a set of emulator skins and 47 more. To get started developing or testing against Android {@sdkPlatformVersion}, 48 use the Android SDK Manager to download the platform into your SDK.</p> 49 50 51 <h2 id="features">Platform Highlights</h2> 52 53 <p>For a list of new user features and platform highlights, see the <a 54 href="http://developer.android.com/about/versions/android-2.2-highlights.html">Android 55 2.2 Platform Highlights</a> document.</p> 56 57 58 <h2 id="api-level">API Level</h2> 59 60 <p>The Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} platform delivers an updated version of 61 the framework API. The Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} API 62 is assigned an integer identifier — 63 <strong>{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}</strong> — that is 64 stored in the system itself. This identifier, called the "API Level", allows the 65 system to correctly determine whether an application is compatible with 66 the system, prior to installing the application. </p> 67 68 <p>To use APIs introduced in Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} in your 69 application, you need to set the proper value, "{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}", in the 70 <code>android:minSdkVersion</code> attributes of the <code><uses-sdk></code> 71 element in your application's manifest. </p> 72 73 <p>For more information about how to use API Level, see the <a 74 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#ApiLevels">API Levels</a> document. </p> 75 76 77 <h2 id="api">Framework API Changes</h2> 78 79 <p>The sections below provide information about changes made to the application 80 framework API provided by the Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} platform.</p> 81 82 <h3 id="install-loc">App installation on external storage media</h3> 83 84 <p>The Android platform now allows applications to request installation onto the 85 device's external storage media (such as the SD card), as an alternative to 86 installation onto the device's internal memory. </p> 87 88 <p>Application developers can express the preferred installation location for 89 their applications by means of a new attribute of <code><manifest></code> 90 in the manifest file, <a 91 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-element.html#install"><code> 92 android:installLocation</code></a>. The attribute supports three values: 93 <code>"internalOnly"</code>, <code>"preferExternal"</code>, and 94 <code>"auto"</code>. At install time, the system checks the value of 95 <code>android:installLocation</code> and installs the application 96 <code>.apk</code> according to the preferred location, if possible. If the 97 application has requested external installation, the system installs it into a 98 private, encrypted partition in the external media. Once an application .apk is 99 installed externally, the system lets the user change the storage location of 100 the .apk and move it onto the device's internal memory if needed (and vice 101 versa), through Manage Applications in the user settings.</p> 102 103 <p>By default, the system installs all applications onto the device's internal 104 memory, except for those that explicitly request external installation. This 105 means that the system will always install legacy applications onto internal 106 memory, since they do not have access to the 107 <code>android:installLocation</code> attribute. However, it is possible to 108 configure and compile a legacy application such that it is installed internally 109 on older versions of the platform and externally on Android 2.2 and later 110 platforms, if necessary. </p> 111 112 <p>Note that requesting installation onto the device's external media is not 113 suitable for all applications, particularly because the external media may be 114 removable and unmounting/remounting may disrupt the user experience and system 115 settings.</p> 116 117 <p>For more information about setting a preferred install location for your 118 application, including a discussion of what types of applications should and 119 should not request external installation, please read the <a 120 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/data/install-location.html">App Install Location</a> 121 document. </p> 122 123 <h3 id="backup-manager">Data backup</h3> 124 125 <p>The platform now provides a generalized backup service that 126 applications can use to backup and restore user data, to ensure that users can 127 maintain their data when switching devices or reinstalling the application. The 128 Backup Manager handles the work of transporting the application data to and from 129 the backup storage area in the cloud. The Backup Manager can store any type of 130 data, from arbitrary data to files, and manages backup and restore operations 131 in an atomic manner. For more information, see <a 132 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/data/backup.html">Data Backup</a>.</p> 133 134 <h3>Graphics</h3> 135 136 <ul> 137 <li>New OpenGL ES 2.0 APIs in {@link android.opengl.GLES20 android.opengl.GLES20}.</li> 138 <li>New {@link android.opengl.ETC1}, {@link android.opengl.ETC1Util}, and {@link android.opengl.ETC1Util.ETC1Texture} classes and utility methods for using ETC1 for texture compression.</li> 139 <li>New {@link android.graphics.ImageFormat} class.</li> 140 <li>New {@link android.graphics.YuvImage YUV image format API} to enable compression from YUV to JPEG and manipulation of YUV data.</li> 141 </ul> 142 143 <h3>Media</h3> 144 145 <ul> 146 <li>New APIs in {@link android.media.AudioManager android.media.AudioManager} for managing audio focus, transport control, transient loss of audio focus, ducking.</li> 147 <li>New broadcast intent for routing audio to SCO — {@link android.media.AudioManager#ACTION_SCO_AUDIO_STATE_CHANGED} with extras indicating new state.</li> 148 <li>New APIs in {@link android.media.SoundPool} to detect completion of sound-loading.</li> 149 <li>New APIs in {@link android.media.SoundPool} for auto pause and resume.</li> 150 <li>New APIs in {@link android.media.MediaRecorder} for specifying audio settings for number of channels, encoding and sampling rates, sampling rate.</li> 151 <li>New APIs for adding files to the media database, so that they are automatically scanned. See {@link android.media.MediaScannerConnection#scanFile(Context, String[], String[], OnScanCompletedListener) MediaScannerConnection.scanFile} and {@link android.media.MediaScannerConnection.OnScanCompletedListener MediaScannerConnection.OnScanCompletedListener}.</li> 152 </ul> 153 154 <h3>Speech recognition and third-party recognition engines</h3> 155 156 <ul> 157 <li>The platform provides new speech-recognition APIs that allow applications to have a richer interaction with the available voice recognizer. For example, the APIs are sufficient to integrate voice recognition deeply into an IME.</li> 158 <li>The platform also provides a {@link android.speech.RecognitionService} base class that lets third-party developers create plug-in recognition engines. </li> 159 <li>New {@link android.speech.RecognitionListener} interface to receive callbacks.</li> 160 <li>New {@link android.speech.RecognizerIntent} extras that let a requester app specify details as preferred language, minimum length in milliseconds, and so on.</li> 161 </ul> 162 163 <h3>Camera and camcorder</h3> 164 165 <ul> 166 <li>Changes to camera preview API to improve efficieny of preview pipeline. </li> 167 <li>New display orientation for camera (it can now work in portrait orientation).</li> 168 <li>New APIs in {@link android.hardware.Camera android.hardware.Camera} for managing zoom level.</li> 169 <li>New APIs {@link android.hardware.Camera.Parameters android.hardware.Camera.Parameters} for querying and setting device camera settings such as focal length, exposure, zoom level, view angle, and others.</li> 170 <li>New {@link android.media.ThumbnailUtils thumbnail} utility for video and image thumbnails.</li> 171 <li>New {@link android.media.CamcorderProfile} and {@link android.media.CamcorderProfile} classes enable apps to determine device hardware camera capablities.</li> 172 <li>New support in {@link android.media.ExifInterface android.media.ExifInterface} for retrieving GPS and focal length.</li> 173 </ul> 174 175 <h3>Device policy manager</h3> 176 177 <p>New device policy management APIs allow developers to write "device 178 administrator" applications that can control security features of the device, 179 such as the minimum password strength, data wipe, and so on. Users can select 180 the administrators that are enabled on their devices. For more information, see 181 the {@link android.app.admin android.app.admin} classees or the example 182 application code in <a 183 href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/ApiDemos/src/com/example/android/apis/app/DeviceAdminSample.html">DeviceAdminSample.java</a>.</p> 184 185 <h3>UI Framework</h3> 186 187 <ul> 188 <li>New UI modes "car mode" and "night mode" and {@link android.app.UiModeManager} let applications adjust their application UI for specific user modes. </li> 189 <li>New {@link android.view.ScaleGestureDetector} that lets Views detect and handle transformation gestures that involve more than one pointer (multitouch) using the supplied MotionEvents. </li> 190 <li>Improvements in the way that multitouch events are reported in {@link android.view.MotionEvent} objects.</li> 191 <li>The layout attribute <code>fill_parent</code> is renamed to <code>match_parent</code>. This affects both XML and Java code (see {@link android.view.ViewGroup.LayoutParams}). Note that the platform will continue to honor uses of <code>fill_parent</code> in legacy applications. </li> 192 <li>New layout attributes {@link android.R.attr#tabStripEnabled}, {@link android.R.attr#tabStripRight}, and {@link android.R.attr#tabStripLeft} let developers customize the bottom strip of TabWidgets.</li> 193 <li>Better support for managed dialogs in Activity.</li> 194 </ul> 195 196 <h3>Accounts and sync</h3> 197 198 <ul> 199 <li>New method {@link android.content.ContentResolver#addPeriodicSync(Account, String, Bundle, long) AddPeriodicSync()} lets you schedule a periodic sync with a specific account, authority, and extras at the given frequency.</li> 200 </ul> 201 202 <h3>New manifest elements and attributes</h3> 203 204 <ul> 205 <li>For specifying the application's preferred install location (see <a href="#install-loc">App Installation on External Storage Media</a>, above): 206 207 <ul> 208 <li>New <code>android:installLocation</code> attribute of the <code><manifest></code> element. Specifies the default install location defined by an application.</li> 209 </ul> 210 </li> 211 212 <li>For managing user data backup (see <a href="#backup-manager">Backup manager</a>, above, for more information): 213 214 <ul> 215 <li> New <code>android:backupAgent</code> attribute of the 216 <code><application></code> element. Specifies the component name of the 217 BackupAgent subclass provided by the application to handle backup/restore 218 operations, if any.</li> 219 <li> New <code>android:restoreAnyVersion</code> attribute of the 220 <code><application></code> element. Boolean value that indicates whether 221 the application is prepared to attempt a restore of any backed-up dataset, even 222 if the backup is apparently from a newer version of the application than is 223 currently installed on the device.</li> 224 </ul> 225 </li> 226 227 <li>For managing the platform's JIT compiler: 228 229 <ul> 230 <li>New <code>android:vmSafeMode</code> attribute of the <code><application></code> element. Boolean value that specifies whether to disable JIT compiler optimizations when running the application.</li> 231 </ul> 232 </li> 233 </ul> 234 235 <h3>Permissions</h3> 236 237 <ul> 238 <li><code>android.permission.BIND_DEVICE_ADMIN</code> — Any device administration broadcast receiver must require this permission, to ensure that only the system can interact with it.</li> 239 <li><code>android.permission.KILL_BACKGROUND_PROCESSES</code> — Allows an application to call {@link android.app.ActivityManager#killBackgroundProcesses(String)}. 240 <li><code>android.permission.BIND_WALLPAPER</code> — Any {@link android.service.wallpaper.WallpaperService} must require this permission, to ensure that only the system can interact with it.</li> 241 <li><code>android.permission.SET_TIME</code> — Allows an application to set the system time.</li> 242 </ul> 243 244 <h3 id="api-diff">API differences report</h3> 245 246 <p>For a detailed view of all API changes in Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} (API 247 Level {@sdkPlatformApiLevel}), see the <a 248 href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}/changes.html">API 249 Differences Report</a>.</p> 250 251 252 253
