Kotlin Blog • Márton Braun • Jan 16, 2026

Update Your Projects for AGP 9

Article Summary

Márton Braun from JetBrains drops a critical update: Android Gradle Plugin 9.0 just landed with breaking changes that will affect every Kotlin Android project. Time to update your build configs.

AGP 9.0 fundamentally changes how Kotlin integrates with Android projects. Two major shifts are happening: Kotlin support is now built directly into AGP (no separate plugin needed), and Kotlin Multiplatform projects must migrate to a new library plugin architecture. These aren't optional tweaks, they're mandatory for AGP 10.0 coming later in 2026.

Key Takeaways

Remove org.jetbrains.kotlin.android plugin, Kotlin support now built into AGP 9.0
KMP projects must migrate to new com.android.kotlin.multiplatform.library plugin
Application modules need restructuring: split into separate app and library modules
Temporary opt-out available via gradle.properties until AGP 10.0 ships
Android Studio Otter 3 Feature Drop required, IntelliJ IDEA support coming Q1 2026

Critical Insight

AGP 9.0 requires immediate build configuration changes for all Kotlin Android projects, with temporary escape hatches expiring when AGP 10.0 arrives in 2026.

The application module migration involves a surprising architectural shift that actually improves build speed and stability (but requires splitting your project structure).

About This Article

Problem

JetBrains had to update Kotlin documentation, samples, and wizards to work with AGP 9.0's new architecture. They also needed to keep supporting multiple IDE versions while delaying IntelliJ IDEA support until Q1 2026.

Solution

The Kotlin team updated all official resources to use AGP 9.0 by default. They added the new built-in Kotlin support and Android KMP library plugin configurations to everything.

Impact

Kotlin documentation, samples, and wizards now come with AGP 9.0 configurations already set up. Developers adopting the new plugin architecture no longer need to configure these manually.