Because Dalvik does not support Java 8 features, and those would need to be implemented first. Java 8 was only just now released in final form. Dalvik does hav

Because Dalvik does not support Java 8 features, and those would need to be implemented first. Java 8 was only just now released in final form. Dalvik does have support for all Java 7 features: http://tools.android.com/tech-docs/new-build-system/user-guide#TOC-Using-sourceCompatibility-1.7 http://tools.android.com/tech-docs/new-build-system/user-gui... Dalvik will most likely be replaced with ART (Android Runtime) at some point: http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/art.html http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/art.html ART has been in the works for at least two years now.