New Beta of the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps Now Available

As mentioned in the recent roadmap update for the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps, we’ve been working hard to enhance the overall compatibility of the runtime and add support for many highly requested features and APIs.

The latest BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps, which is now available as part of the BlackBerry 10.3 SDK beta, delivers increased compatibility and support. Here’s what’s new in the latest runtime:

• Android Jelly Bean 4.3: The Android Runtime has been upgraded from Jelly Bean 4.2.2 to 4.3.
• Accounts Support: Android applications that use authentication for user login can now be set up and managed from within the BlackBerry 10 accounts settings.
• Bluetooth LE: Applications that use Bluetooth Low Energy from Android API level 18 are now supported.
• NFC: Android applications that integrate with NFC are supported. NFC support includes reading and writing tags, as well as sharing data between NFC enabled devices.
• Share Framework v2: The previous release of the runtime enabled Android applications that register with the share framework in Android to appear as share targets on the BlackBerry 10 share menu. In this release, Android applications can now share to BlackBerry 10 share menu targets.

Get the latest runtime

To get started, grab the BlackBerry 10.3 Beta SDK OS for your BlackBerry 10 device. If you don’t have a device to test with, you can get the latest BlackBerry 10 device simulator from our Android Tooling page.

Get the latest development tools

You’ll also want to update your tools to the latest 2.0.3 beta, which are also now available for download. Head on over to our Android Tooling page for the latest command-line tools and plugins for Android Studio or Eclipse. To see the full details and known issues, check out the Release Notes.

Check out what’s coming next

Also, make sure to check out the Android Runtime roadmap for the details on the upcoming gold release, which will include a new tooling update.

Start testing out your Android app in the latest runtime and check out the forums if you have any questions or feedback.