Android Community and Contacts

Welcome to the Android community!

The key to any community is communication. Like many projects, Android communicates through mailing lists. Because Android is an extremely large project with many components, we have many discussion forums, each focusing on a different topic. View the available groups and join any that seem interesting to you. You can also discuss Android on IRC.

If you're a user looking for help with the Android UI or an Android device, details on Android updates or security issues, or how to build apps for Android, see the list of resources below.

Resources

This site covers creating custom Android stacks, porting devices and accessories, and meeting compatibility requirements. The Android OS is a Git repository of files and not a single file (.zip, .tar, .exe, etc.) to download. You can get started with the Android source code by following the instructions in Downloading the Source. For other information about Android, refer to the following resources.

Open Source Project discussions

• android-platform: This list is for general discussion about the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) or the platform technologies.

  • Subscribe using Google Groups: android-platform
  • Subscribe by email: android-platform

• android-building: This list is for discussion and help on building the Android source code, and on the build system. If you've just checked out the source code and have questions about how to turn it into binaries, start here.

  • Subscribe using Google Groups: android-building
  • Subscribe by email: android-building

• android-porting: This list is for developers who want to port Android to a new device. If you're wondering how to combine the Android source code with your hardware, this is the right group for you. Here you can discuss the specifics of porting Android to individual devices, from obtaining toolchains and merging kernel drivers all the way to configuring or modifying apps for your specific configuration.

  • Subscribe using Google Groups: android-porting
  • Subscribe by email: android-porting

• android-contrib: This list is for developers who want to contribute code to Android. This is a working list, and isn't appropriate for general discussion. For general discussion, go to android-platform. If you want to contribute to the Linux kernel used by Android devices, go to android-kernel.

  • Subscribe using Google Groups: android-contrib
  • Subscribe by email: android-contrib

• android-kernel: This list is for developers who want to contribute to the Linux kernel used by Android devices. If you've downloaded the kernel code, know how to compile it, and want to write kernel code to support Android, this is your group. This group is not for user-space topics (see android-platform). If you want to contribute code to Android, see android-contrib.

  • Subscribe using Google Groups: android-kernel
  • Subscribe by email: android-kernel

• android-ota: This list is for developers working on the Android OTA system (the recovery image and the scripts that generate OTAs).

  • Subscribe using Google Groups: android-ota
  • Subscribe by email: android-ota

• android-compatibility: If you have technical questions about Android compatibility that aren't covered in this site, you can seek help from your peers on this list.

  • Subscribe using Google Groups: android-compatibility
  • Subscribe by email: android-compatibility

Audience

These discussion groups are intended for developers working with the Android platform. Everyone is welcome to join in, as long as you follow the community policies described below. Our users help each other, and many experts post to these groups, including members of the Open Handset Alliance.

No topic is off limits, as long as it relates to Android in some way. However, these are very busy lists, so search the archives before posting your question; you may find that your question has already been answered.

Getting the most from our lists

Consider the following before you post to our lists.

• Read the Mailing list rules. This explains the rules and guidelines for our community.

• Search the group archives to see whether your question has already been discussed. This avoids time-wasting, redundant discussions.

• Use a clear, relevant message subject. This helps everyone, both those trying to answer your question and those looking for information.

• Give plenty of details in your post. Code or log snippets, pointers to screenshots, and similar details get better results and make for better discussions. For a great guide to phrasing your questions, read How to Ask Questions the Smart Way.

Mailing list rules

We love simplicity and hate restrictions, so we keep our policies minimal. The rules below describe what's expected of subscribers to the Android mailing lists.

• Be friendly: Showing courtesy and respect to others is a vital part of the Android culture, and we expect everyone participating in the Android community to join us in accepting nothing less. Being courteous doesn't mean that we can't constructively disagree with each other, but it does mean that we must be polite when we do so. There's never a reason to be antagonistic or dismissive toward anyone; if you think there is, think again before you post. Mobile development is serious business, but it's also a lot of fun. Let's keep it that way. Let's strive to be one of the friendliest communities in all of open source.
• Allowed discussion topics: Most of our groups are for technical discussions of Android or users helping each other. Generally we don't put hard restrictions on the topics discussed in the group. As long as the topic is relevant to Android in some way, it's welcome on our groups. We welcome announcements and discussion of products, libraries, publications, and other interesting Android-related news, but don't cross-post. Post only to the most relevant group for your message. We even welcome (polite!) discussion of articles and ideas critical of Android—after all, we can't improve if we don't listen.
• Working Lists: Some of our groups are considered working lists, by which we mean that the list is intended to be used in support of the completion of specific tasks. On these groups, we don't welcome off-topic conversations, and usually ask you to take general discussions to a different list. Because these are lists where people are trying to get work done, we're pretty aggressive about keeping the noise level low. We ask that you respect our contributors' time and keep general discussions to appropriate lists.
• Spam: We hate spam almost as passionately as we love courtesy and respect, so we reserve the right to limit discussions that amount to spam. Outright spam results in the spammer being immediately and permanently banned from the list.

The most important rule is friendliness. Remember: disrespect and rudeness aren't welcome in our community under any circumstances. We don't have a formal policy on dealing with troublemakers, and we hope that we never need one. That said, we pledge to do our best to be fair, and we always try to warn someone before banning them.

Contacting the moderators

If you see anyone being rude, call them out on it. This is your group, too, and you don't have to accept someone else being disrespectful just because it wasn't directed at you. Just remember to be polite and courteous yourself! Don't add fuel to the fire.

If you see an outrageous violation, want to report spam, feel strongly about something, or just want to chat, then contact the mailing list owners. It's what we're here for!

Using email with Google Groups

Instead of using the Google groups site, you can use your preferred email client to participate in the mailing lists. To subscribe to a group without using the Google Groups site, use the link under "subscribe by email" in the lists above.

To set up how you receive mailing list postings by email:

1. Sign in to the group through the Google Groups site. For example, for the android-platform group use https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/android-platform.
2. Click My settings on the upper-right.
3. Click Membership and email settings and set the email options.

Android on IRC

Android has a presence on IRC through freenode. We maintain two official IRC channels on irc.freenode.net (access through the web at freenode webchat).

• #android - dedicated to general Android discussion and porting concerns

• #android-dev - dedicated to discussion about writing Android apps

The community also uses several unofficial channels that aren't officially moderated or managed. The Open Handset Alliance doesn't endorse unofficial channels and there's no warranty express or implied, so use them at your own risk. Here's a list of a few unofficial channels (many more may exist):

• #android-firehose - displays the commits to the AOSP in real time

• #android-fr - pour discuter d'Android en français

• #android-offtopic - for, well, off-topic discussions

• #android-root - for discussion related to off-label uses of hardware

For licensing Google Mobile Services

Send inquiries about licensing Google Mobile Services through the GMS contact form. Other non-GMS partnership inquiries can be sent to android-partnerships@google.com.

While we read every message received, we can't respond to each of them. We promise to contact you if we can help!