Java 8 language Feature Support Update (reprint)

A few days ago, we released the Android Studio 2.4 Preview 6. Now, in the JAVAC/DX compilation path, the Java 8 language feature will be supported by the Android build system. Android Studio's Gradle plugin now handles "de-icing" Java 8-class files, preserving only class files that are compatible with Java 7, so you can use Java 8 lambda, method references, and other features.

For developers trying the Jack compiler, we now support the same set of Java 8 language features, but build faster. You can use Java 8 language features with bytecode-dependent tools, including Instant Run. Libraries written with Java 8 are also supported.

We initially added the Java 8 de-icing feature in Android Studio 2.4 Preview 4. Preview 6 contains fixes to important issues related to support for Java 8 language features. Many of these fixes are based on error reports that you submit. We thank you for helping the community improve Android development tools!

Experimenting with Java 8 language features in your Android project is simple. Simply download Android Studio 2.4 Preview 6 and update the project's target and source compatibility to be compatible with Java version 1.8. You can find more information in our preview documentation.

I hope you love lambda!

Java 8 language Feature Support Update (reprint)