Is it possible to use Java 8 for Android development?

Question

Searching the web, it is not clear if Java 8 is supported for Android development or not.

Before I download/setup Java 8, can some one point me at any \"official\" d

Answer 1

Yes, Android Supports Java 8 Now (24.1.17)

Now it is possible

But you will need to have your device rom run on java 1.8 and enable "jackOptions" to run it. Jack is the name for the new Android compiler that runs Java 8

https://developer.android.com/guide/platform/j8-jack.html

add these lines to build_gradle

    android {
  ...
  defaultConfig {
    ...
    jackOptions {
      enabled true
    }
  }
  compileOptions {
    sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
  }
}

---

Java 8 seem to be the running java engine of Android studio 2.0, But it still does not accept the syntax of java 8 after I checked, and you cannot chose a compiler from android studio now. However, you can use the scala plugin if you need functional programming mechanism in your android client.