The must-have software components for the Android SDK required to take your Android development work to the next level
What’s new in Android SDK Platform Tools 31.0.3:
- fastboot:
- Support flashing vbmeta_vendor.img for fastboot flashall / update.
Android SDK Platform Tools is an important bundle for the Android SDK. These tools are designed to enhance and extend the basic capabilities of Android Studio.
Some of the most notable SDK Platform Tools are the powerful graphical Android Emulator, as well as NDK, a series of SDK command-line tools, CMake, Auto API Simulator, Auto Desktop Head Unit Emulator, Layout Inspector Image Server for API 29-30, and API S.
In addition, the bundle includes various Google Play-related development tools such as an APK Expansion Library, Instant Development SDK, Licensing Library, Play Services, and Web Driver.
How and where to get them from
The easiest way to access the full Android SDK Platform Tools bundle is to open Android Studio, open the File menu, select Settings, and locate “Android SDK” in the System Settings section. The section features three main tabs: SDK Platforms, SDK Tools, and SDK Update Sites.
Alternatively, users can download the Android SDK Platform Tools (found in our Downloads section), unpack the archive, and manually access them from the “platform-tools” folder.
There’s a third way, and that’s via the sdkmanager command-line tool. In short, the sdkmanager tool allows you to view, install, uninstall, and update packages for the Android SDK. The sdkmanager is provided in the Android SDK Platform Tools package.
Keeping the SDK tools updated
To keep your SDK tools updated, simply open Android Studio, locate the Help menu, and select the Check for Update and choose one of the four channels (Stable, Beta, Dev, and Canary).
Next, open the SDK Manager section from the System Settings section, and click the desired tool until a checkmark is displayed near it. End the process by clicking Apply and Ok.
If you’re using the sdkmanager (the command-line tool), then simply enter the following command: “sdkmanager –update [options]”
Conclusion
The SDK Platform Tools includes a series of very useful tools that are specifically designed to interface with Android OS. Components like adb, fastboot, systrace, and the Android Emulator were all designed to take allow you to take your Android development work to the next level.
It’s a very good thing that Google and JetBrains provide developers two very different, yet just as effective ways to get ahold of and perfectly manage these SDK components. Developers can either use the SDK Manager (within Android Studio itself) or the sdkmanager command-line tool.
