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

I asked this question over 3 years ago and obviously the answers have changed over the years. As many above have already answered, as of sometime back, the answer became Yes. I have never updated the accepted answer because it was the correct answer at the time. (I am not sure what the Stack Overflow policy is on that)

I just wanted to add another answer for those who still search for this topic. As of 5/17/2017 Google also announced that Kotlin is also an official language for Android development.

I have not found an official press release, but I did watch some of the Google I/O videos where it was announced. Here is a link to a blog post by the Kotlin team on the announcement.