What’s New in Android Gradle Plugin 8.13

Android Gradle plugin 8.13

Android Gradle Plugin (AGP) 8.13 introduces several important updates that bring enhancements to build tooling, compatibility, and reliability. Here’s a breakdown of the key changes and improvements:

Major Changes & Upgrades

• Minimum Gradle Version Requirement: AGP 8.13 now requires Gradle 8.13. If you’re using an older Gradle version, you’ll need to upgrade. This alignment helps ensure developers have access to the latest build tool performance and features.
• Plugin Versioning: If using the plugin in your build.gradle.kts or build.gradle (Groovy), you should specify the version "8.13.0" explicitly. AGP no longer supports dynamic version numbers like "8.13.+" (or others with +) because they can lead to unpredictable builds.

Compatibility & Tooling

• Android Studio Compatibility: AGP 8.13 is compatible with Android Studio Narwhal 3 Feature Drop (2025.1.3) and later. The policy is that Android Studio versions support AGP versions released within the previous 3 years. Older AGP versions older than 3 years may cease to be supported
• SDK / Build Tools / JDK Requirements:
• AGP 8.13 supports up to API level 36.
• Minimum required Build Tools version is 35.0.0.
• The plugin requires JDK 17.

Bug Fixes & Plugin Behavior

• Some of the issues fixed in 8.13 include:
• In library projects, CheckAarMetadataTask will now run correctly when building an AAR.
• The Fused Library Plugin had problems processing resource references from external libraries; these have been addressed.
• Allowing overrideLibrary within the Fused Library Plugin now works properly.

What Developers Should Do / Migration Tips

If you are moving to AGP 8.13 (or starting a new project), use the following tips to avoid surprises:

• Update your Gradle wrapper to version 8.13. This means updating gradlew / gradlew.bat and the gradle-wrapper.properties file to point to distributionUrl = ...gradle-8.13-bin.zip.
• Verify that your Android Studio version is recent (Narwhal 3 Feature Drop or newer) so you don’t run into compatibility issues.
• Search your project for any plugins or custom build scripts that might rely on older AGP or deprecated APIs; fix or replace them.
• Avoid using version ranges (like 8.13.+) in plugin declarations to maintain build stability.

Why AGP 8.13 Matters

• It ensures build systems use up-to-date tooling: newer Gradle versions provide performance improvements, better incremental builds, and more stable APIs.
• Fixes in resource processing and library metadata reduce build errors and issues, especially in multi-module or library projects.
• Aligning with newer JDKs (17) and setting higher minimum SDK / build tool levels helps future proof projects.

Read More

For the full details, API deprecations, and edge cases, check the official AGP 8.13 release notes from Google:
Android Gradle Plugin 8.13 Release Notes