How to download the Android SDK

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To develop with the Android 13 APIs and test your app with the behavior changes of Android 13, you must set up the Android 13 SDK. However, please note that some older versions of Android Studio are incompatible with the changes included in the Android 13 SDK.

For the best development experience with the Android 13 SDK, it is recommended to use Android Studio Chipmunk | 2021.2.1 or higher.

Installing the Android 13 SDK

To install the Android 13 SDK in Android Studio, follow the steps below:

  1. Select SDK MANAGER under TOOLS.
  2. Choose the Android Tiramisu Preview option from the SDK PLATFORMS tab.
  3. Choose ANDROID SDK BUILD-TOOLS 33 under the SDK TOOLS tab.
  4. Click OK to install the SDK.

Verifying App Compatibility with Android 13

To verify whether your app is compatible with Android 13, open your module-level build.gradle or build.gradle.kts file and update the values for Android 13 to gain access to the Android 13 APIs.

Understanding Behavior Changes

To understand which changes might apply to your app and how to test these changes, read through the following topics:

  • Modifications to behavior that impact all apps
  • Modifications to behavior that only impact apps designed for Android 13

Exploring Android 13 Features

To learn more about the new APIs and features available in Android 13, read the Android 13 features documentation.

To download the platforms, SDK tools, and other components needed for app development, use the Android SDK Manager. Follow the steps below:

  1. Click TOOLS > SDK MANAGER or click SDK MANAGER in the toolbar to launch the SDK Manager from Android Studio.
  2. A dash will appear in the checkbox next to a package if there is an update available.
  3. Click the checkbox to install a new item or update an existing one.
  4. Click APPLY or OK to update the chosen packages and accept any license agreements.
  5. Under the SDK UPDATE SITES tab, you can add and manage other websites that host their own tools. This allows you to download packages from those websites.
  6. Gradle can automatically download missing SDK packages that a project requires when you run a build from the command line or Android Studio, provided that the corresponding SDK license agreements have already been accepted in the SDK MANAGER.

To add an Android SDK in RAD Studio, follow these steps:

  1. Go to TOOLS > OPTIONS > ENVIRONMENT OPTIONS > SDK MANAGER.
  2. Press the ADD icon.
  3. Choose ANDROID from the SELECT A PLATFORM drop-down list on the ADD A NEW SDK dialog box.
  4. The Android SDKs installed on your computer will be identified by RAD STUDIO, which will then fill the SELECT AN SDK VERSION drop-down list.
  5. From the SELECT AN SDK VERSION drop-down list, choose an SDK.
  6. If you want the new SDK to be the Android default SDK, check MAKE THE SELECTED SDK ACTIVE.
  7. Press OK to proceed.

The Android SDK Command-Line Tools package includes the sdkmanager tool. To install a version of the command-line tools using the SDK Manager, follow these steps:

  1. Unzip the most recent "command line tools only" package that you downloaded from the Android Studio downloads page.
  2. Transfer the unzipped directory of cmdline-tools to a new directory, like android_sdk.
  3. Create a latest subdirectory in the unzipped cmdline-tools directory.
  4. Transfer the contents of the original cmdline-tools directory, which includes the source.properties file, NOTICE.txt file, bin directory, and lib directory, to the recently created latest directory.
  5. The command-line tools are now accessible from this location.