Android 15 platform update for Clover devices

Clover® is preparing to roll out Android™ 15 to the following devices only: Clover Flex 4 and Clover Flex Pocket.

This update brings modern Android platform improvements, enhanced security, and performance optimizations. Review the following rollout timeline, critical platform behavior changes, and Clover-specific operating system exceptions to make sure your apps remain compatible and stable.

Rollout timeline and phases

• Prerequisite system ROM: Devices must update to the Q3 2026 ROM release before an upgrade path to Android 15 becomes available. Make sure your devices are up to date.
• Sandbox testing: Clover first offers upgrades by invitation to a targeted list of developers. These developers validate the update and provide feedback before it becomes more widely available in the sandbox.
• Production pilot (Q4 2026): A staggered rollout to 50 pilot merchants begins in Q4 2026. Our engineering teams closely support these merchants and replace devices if issues occur.
• General availability (Q1 and Q2 2027): Production rollout across eligible devices proceeds in phases throughout the first and second quarters of 2027.

Relevant behavior changes (Android 13 to 15)

Clover devices incorporate upstream Android Open Source Project (AOSP) updates from Android 14 and 15. The following behavior changes have the highest potential impact on third-party Clover apps:

• Context-registered broadcasts queued while cached: The system queues context-registered broadcasts while apps are cached. Many parts of the Clover Android SDK use broadcasts to communicate events to apps. Make sure your app handles delayed or batched delivery when it returns to the foreground.
• Restricted standby bucket: Android 15 introduces additional criteria for placing apps in the restricted standby bucket. The system stops poorly behaving apps and marks them as unavailable more aggressively than in previous releases.
• Changes to package stopped state: Pending intents can no longer remove an app from the stopped state. If an app is explicitly stopped, pending intents do not wake it.
• Support for 16 KB page size: Apps can compile for a 16 KB page size to optimize performance on compatible hardware.
• Background network access restrictions: Apps face stricter limitations when accessing the network outside the process lifecycle. If your app requires background sync, evaluate these constraints.

Clover OS exceptions

Clover customizes the operating system to support our merchant environment. To maintain backward compatibility, Clover explicitly turns off the following AOSP behavior changes:

• Non-dismissible notifications: AOSP updated how users interact with non-dismissible notifications. Clover continues to prevent users from dismissing persistent notifications so that critical merchant services remain visible.
• Minimum installable target API level: AOSP restricts older apps from installing. Clover continues to allow apps with a minSdkVersion down to API level 17.
• Target SDK version enforcement: AOSP increased the minimum target SDK version from 23 to 24. Clover waives this requirement, so apps with a targetSdkVersion down to API level 17 install successfully.

Next steps for developers

1. Keep devices updated: Make sure your sandbox devices run the Q3 2026 ROM release to prepare for the upgrade path.
2. Watch for communications: If Clover selects your apps for the initial sandbox rollout, you will receive an email with instructions. We will also post announcements and banners on the Developer Dashboard.
3. Review official documentation: This announcement covers the changes most relevant to Clover developers. For the complete list of upstream AOSP changes, review the official Android developer documentation for Android 14 behavior changes and Android 15 behavior changes.

Support

For questions and feedback, send an email to Developer Relations (DevRel) at [email protected].