The development of video games and graphical applications on Android has advanced enormously thanks to the implementation of the Vulkan API . More and more developers are looking to get the most out of mobile device hardware, and Vulkan has established itself as the key to achieving greater graphics performance and better utilization of the CPU and GPU compared to OpenGL ES. In this article, we explore in depth the current state of Vulkan support on Android, its version compatibility, its relationship with technologies like Angle, and how to configure a native Vulkan project for Android step by step.
Vulkan is a low-level graphics and compute API developed by the Khronos Group . Its goal is to provide more direct access to GPU hardware, reducing driver overhead and improving performance compared to OpenGL ES. Unlike Microsoft's DirectX, Vulkan is cross-platform and open source , making it a very attractive option for developers who need compatibility with multiple devices and operating systems.
Besides being the recommended API for AAA games and custom engines, Vulkan is being integrated into more of Android's inner layers. Critical system APIs and components like HWUI (user interface rendering), Skia (2D graphics engine), and WebGPU are increasingly running on Vulkan, reinforcing its role as the foundation of Android's graphics stack.
Main advantages of Vulkan on Android
Since its introduction in Android 7.0 (Nougat) with API level 24, Vulkan has become the preferred choice for many game studios and engines. Its advantages aren't limited to raw power: it also offers a more predictable and scalable architecture that facilitates custom optimizations.
- Higher performanceVulkan reduces the processor workload thanks to lower-level access to the GPU. Drawing calls (draw calls) have a much lower CPU cost than OpenGL ES, which allows them to handle scenes with thousands of objects without blocking the main thread.
- Better use of multiple coresThe API is designed so that command and resource preparation can be distributed across multiple threads. This allows for better utilization of the resources. cpu cores available, reducing bottlenecks and energy consumption by preventing a single core from operating at full capacity.
- Reduced driver overloadIn OpenGL ES, many validation and state management decisions are left to the controller, which generates hidden costs. In Vulkan, the developer assumes this explicit control and can minimize the driver overhead designing flows tailored to your engine.
- Explicit memory control and synchronizationAlthough it requires more work, this approach allows for advanced strategies such as Customized allocators, resource pooling, or very fine synchronization between graphics, computing, and transfer queues.
- Support for dynamic renderingIntroduced in Vulkan 1.3 and present in modern Android profiles, it eliminates some of the complexity of configuring static render passes for each combination of attachments, something especially useful on mobile devices where resolutions and orientations change frequently.
- New advanced graphics featuresVulkan opens the door to modern features not available in OpenGL ES, such as Unlinked APIs (clear separation of states), advanced rendering techniques, integration with ray tracing on compatible hardware and more flexible pipelines for complex effects.
- Cross-platform compatibilityIt works on Android, Windows, Linux, and other platforms, allowing for the development of a unique game engine and reusable, adapting only the input layers, file system or services specific to each system.
If you want to learn more about how Vulkan improves graphics performance on specific devices, you can check out this article about Vulkan and its impact on the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Vulkan versions, Android profiles, and compatibility
The evolution of Vulkan on Android has been constant, both in terms of APIs and minimum requirements for new devices. This directly impacts game and engine compatibility, as well as the performance expectations you can have for your user base.
Version 1.1 introduced significant improvements in compatibility, synchronization, and memory capabilities. Subsequently, Vulkan 1.3 added a base profile for Android (released in 2022) that defines a minimum set of extensions and behaviors that certified devices must comply with, greatly simplifying the work for engine developers.
In practice:
- Android devices running Android 10 or later must be compatible with at least Vulkan 1.1 in order to be certified.
- Many recent models already exhibit Vulkan 1.3 and they support the base Android profile, which improves swap chain stability, dynamic rendering, and the availability of modern extensions.
Google has also defined Vulkan Profiles for Android (VPAs) , which specify the minimum Vulkan capabilities required for a device to use certain branches of the system. These profiles ensure that, for each generation of Android, there is a clear set of features and extensions that developers can assume are available.
- For modern Android versions, the VPA profile requires at least the Main features of Vulkan 1.3, thus aligning the platform with the current state of the API.
- In future versions, the profiles will raise the bar (for example, requiring features of Vulkan 1.4), ensuring a consistent experience and facilitating the adoption of advanced graphics techniques in 3D games and applications.
For those who want to learn more about the features of Android Nougat, you can check out this article on the main features of Android 7.0 Nougat.
At the same time, Google continues to support OpenGL ES, but through a translation layer called ANGLE , which runs OpenGL ES on top of Vulkan. This strategy maintains compatibility with existing games written in OpenGL ES, but directs all new development toward Vulkan as the preferred API.
How to check if your Android device supports Vulkan
Before investing time in optimizing your game or app, it's helpful to know which version of Vulkan your device supports and what capabilities the driver exposes. You can do this using different methods:
- Using ADBConnect your device to the computer and run the command
adb shell getprop | grep vulkanYou will obtain system properties related to the Vulkan implementation from the manufacturer, such as the minimum version, the maximum version, and the driver status. - Third-party applications: tools such as Vulkan Hardware Capability Viewer They allow you to see, visually, which version of Vulkan is compatible with your terminal, which device and instance extensions are available, and what the memory limitations, queues, and image formats.
In addition, Google encourages developers to test their OpenGL ES applications on ANGLE by enabling this layer via ADB, to check compatibility and performance when running on Vulkan:
- Enable ANGLE for a specific package:
adb shell settings put global angle_gl_driver_selection_pkgs package-name
adb shell settings put global angle_gl_driver_selection_values angle - Disable ANGLE and revert to the default GL controller:
adb shell settings delete global angle_gl_driver_selection_pkgs
adb shell settings delete global angle_gl_driver_selection_values
It's important to note that advancements in hardware technologies, such as the ARM Mali G71 GPU and its successors, directly impact Vulkan's compatibility and performance on Android devices. Read more about this in our article on the ARM Mali G71 GPU.
How to start programming in Vulkan for Android
To develop applications and games that use Vulkan on Android with C/C++, you need to properly prepare the native development environment . The recommended workflow integrates Android Studio, the NDK, and CMake.
- Download and install Android Studio, GDR y CMakeIn the SDK Manager, within Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Android SDK, make sure you have the Modern SDK Platforms and, in the tab SDKTools, NDK brand and CMake.
- Configure the SDKManager to include the necessary tools (C/C++ compiler, platform tools, LLDB debugger) and keep them updated.
- Cloning open source repositories, such as samples from Vulkan of Khronos or the official codelab getting-started-with-vulkan-on-android on GitHub, and compile initial examples to validate your environment.
In the reference codelab, you start with a basic C++ app and gradually add everything necessary to configure the Vulkan rendering pipeline and ultimately render a textured, rotating triangle on screen. This incremental approach helps you clearly understand the function of each API object.
Once the environment is set up, developers can begin creating their own applications, taking advantage of Vulkan's advanced capabilities: multiple queues, descriptor sets, optimized pipelines, reusable command buffers, and more. It's crucial to stay up-to-date with new Android versions, which typically bring improvements to Vulkan support and VPA profiles. For more information on how Vulkan was first introduced, see this link about the Android Nougat update for the LG G5.
Challenges and Limitations of Vulkan on Android
Despite its many benefits, Vulkan also presents some important challenges that should be understood before migrating an entire engine or starting a project from scratch:
- Steep learning curveThe API is much more detailed than OpenGL ES. It requires explicit management of memory, synchronization, pipeline states, image layouts and resource lifecycles. This implies more initial code and a well-thought-out engine architecture.
- Unequal compatibilityAlthough most active devices support some version of Vulkan, not all support the same extensions or advanced profilesIt is common to have to implement alternative code paths or disable certain effects on limited hardware.
- Depuration complexityWithout the right tools, finding errors in synchronization, image states, or memory usage can be difficult. That's why these tools are so useful. validation layers official documents and tools like RenderDoc.
- Less historical documentation than OpenGL ESAlthough there are many more resources available today than at the beginning, some of the community and tutorials are still focused on OpenGL ES. However, the official documentation and Google's codelabs have grown and cover an increasing number of cases.
Even with these limitations, Vulkan remains an extremely powerful option for improving graphics performance on Android devices . With growing support for Vulkan and the gradual transition of OpenGL ES to ANGLE on top of Vulkan, developers can create graphically intensive applications with greater efficiency and stability.
For those interested in improving FPS in popular games like PUBG Mobile, where GPU and CPU performance make all the difference, we recommend reading this article on how to improve FPS in PUBG Mobile . As more manufacturers adopt Vulkan as a cornerstone of their graphics stack and VPA profiles become more established, their relevance in the mobile development ecosystem will continue to grow.
If you're a developer interested in pushing the limits of Android hardware, learning and using Vulkan can make a significant difference in the visual quality , power consumption , and smoothness of your apps' gameplay . The fact that Android, its internal frameworks, and engines like Unity and Unreal are embracing Vulkan is a clear indication that it's the API of the future for the ecosystem.
In this context, it's also important to be aware of the evolution of Angle and how Android will gradually migrate the OpenGL ES implementation on top of Vulkan, as well as the role of Vulkan profiles for Android in certifying new devices. Understanding these elements will allow you to make better architectural decisions and get a head start on adapting for future generations of the platform.
Google announced that it is actively working to make Vulkan the primary recommended GPU abstraction layer for demanding games and apps, while other internal components are also moving to this API. At the same time, the use of Vulkan profiles for Android ensures that new system versions run only on devices that meet minimum graphics requirements, resulting in more consistent experiences for both users and developers.
With this entire ecosystem in place, developing with Vulkan on Android is no longer just a matter of occasional performance: it has become a strategic investment that aligns your projects with the direction the platform is taking and opens the door to modern graphics techniques, better debugging tools, and more predictable cross-device compatibility.