API 23: What Is It and What You Need to Know

API 23 (Android 6.0 Marshmallow, corresponding to API Level 23) represents a monumental turning point in mobile software engineering and operating system architecture. Released by Google, this version fundamentally shifted how applications interact with user data, device hardware, and system resources.

1. The Paradigm Shift: Runtime Permissions

Before API 23, Android followed an “all-or-nothing” installation model. When users downloaded an application from the Google Play Store, a sprawling list of requested permissions—ranging from accessing contacts and location to reading phone state—was displayed upfront. Users had to accept everything just to install the app.

API 23 introduced Runtime Permissions, transforming user privacy and developer workflows entirely:

• Just-in-Time Requests: Instead of asking for permissions at installation, apps had to request sensitive permissions (classified as “dangerous”) when the specific feature was actually needed.
• Granular Control: Users gained the power to grant or deny individual permissions (like camera or microphone access) and could revoke them at any time through the system settings without uninstalling the app.
• Developer Adaptation: Developers had to rewrite codebase segments to gracefully handle permission denials, check permission states dynamically (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission), and explain why a permission was required.

2. Power Management: Doze Mode and App Standby

Battery anxiety was a major pain point for mobile users in the mid-2010s. API 23 introduced aggressive, intelligent power-saving features that radically improved standby time:

• Doze Mode: When a device was left unattended, screen-off, and stationary, the system entered Doze mode. It periodically deferred background CPU and network activities for apps, waking up only briefly in maintenance windows to sync data.
• App Standby: The OS tracked apps that weren’t actively being used. If a user hadn’t opened an app for a while and it wasn’t displaying notifications or running a foreground service, the system put it into “Standby,” cutting off its network access and deferring syncs until the next active window.

3. Other Core Under-the-Hood Innovations

Beyond permissions and power saving, API 23 laid the groundwork for several modern Android standards:

• Native Fingerprint Authentication: Marshmallow standardized biometric authentication, providing APIs that allowed developers to integrate fingerprint sensors securely and consistently across various device manufacturers.
• Direct Share: The sharing sheet became smarter, allowing users to share content directly to specific contacts or deep-linked destinations inside apps rather than just selecting a generic app icon.
• Do Not Disturb (DND) Enhancements: Introduced finer controls over audio profiles and notification filtering, ensuring users could seamlessly toggle restriction levels.
• Text Selection and Floating Toolbar: A contextual floating toolbar appeared right next to selected text, making actions like copy, paste, share, and translation much faster.

4. Legacy and Modern Legacy in 2026

While modern Android development operates at much higher API levels, API 23 remains a historic milestone. For years, it served as a baseline standard or minimum SDK threshold for many enterprise and consumer libraries, as it marked the point where modern Android security baselines matured.

Ultimately, API 23 transformed Android from an open-access environment into a modern, privacy-first ecosystem, setting a precedent that shaped mobile operating systems for decades to come.