26 March 2026 Redefining Location Privacy: New Tools and Improvements for Android 17 Link copied to clipboard Posted by Robert Clifford, Developer Relations Engineer and Manjeet Rulhania, Software Engineer A pillar of the Android ecosystem is our shared commitment to user trust. …
… Contact Picker: A privacy-friendly way to access contacts Android is introducing the Android Contact Picker as the new standard for accessing contact information e.g., for invites, sharing, or one-time lookups . …
… This new local model trained on Android development provides the best of both worlds: the privacy and cost-efficiency of on-device processing alongside state-of-the-art reasoning and tool-calling capabilities. …
… On Android 16, CT is available but apps had to opt in. Local network protections : Apps targeting Android 17 or higher have local network access blocked by default. Switch to using privacy preserving pickers if possible, and use the new ACCESS LOCAL NETWORK for broad, persistent access. …
… Simplify how you manage user privacy with easy-to-integrate tools like the contact picker and location button to give users clearer choices. We're also updating our policies to raise the standard for user privacy. …
… It’s our most efficient local model and is capable of complex multi-step agentic coding in Android Studio. It’s ideal for developers who require data privacy, offline access, or have run into quota issues with other models. …
… Coding with Gemma 4 in Android Studio When building Android apps, Android Studio can use Gemma 4 to leverage its state-of-the-art reasoning power and native support for tool use, while keeping the model and inference contained entirely on your local machine. …
… Important Note on Compatibility These integrated logging and callback features are available for devices running Android 16.1 SDK 36.1 and higher. Refer here to compile your app with Android SDK 36.1. …