As the Android 7.1.1 update started rolling out yesterday I thought it was time to take a look at what is new for developers in this release. The update is an incremental increase that builds on features released in the build on the Pixel devices.

For us developers the major consumer related features you may want to build for are App Shortcuts,Image Keyboard Support, Round Icons.

App Shortcuts

If your app targets Android 7.1 or higher you can define shortcuts to specific actions in your app. These shortcuts can be displayed in a supported launcher and let users quickly start common tasks in your app.

Image Keyboard Support

SDK Api level 25 provides the Commit Content API which provides a universal way for input method editors (IME) to send images and other right content directly to a text editor in an app.

With this api you can build messaging apps that accept rich content from any keyboard as well as send rich content to any app.

Rounded Icon

Apps can now define circular launcher icons which are used on devices that support them. Currently that is only the Pixel line. When a launcher requests an app icon the framework returns either andorid:icon or android:roundIcon depending on the device configuration.

For Details on the API differences check out the API Diffs for more information.

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