VOXL SDK Release Notes
Which SDK to flash on your drone, plus what's new across SDK releases.
A VOXL SDK release bundles three things: the voxl-suite meta-package (all VOXL SDK software packages installed on VOXL), a matching system image, and an installer. The release takes its version number from the included voxl-suite meta-package.
Each release is cut from a tagged voxl-suite meta-package that pins the exact version of every package it contains — see the release tags for precisely what is in each release. Releases go through alpha and beta cuts with internal flight testing before they are published.
Because the system image and voxl-suite are tested together as a whole, we highly recommend installing SDK releases as-is with a full system flash. Experienced developers can configure VOXL to pull individual packages from development repositories by following the voxl-configure-pkg-manager page, but we do not support software issues that arise from doing so.
Which SDK Should I Flash?
The build artifacts listed in the Release Index show which platforms a release was built for — not which vehicles it has been flight tested on. For ModalAI drones, flash the most recent release that has been flight tested on your vehicle (see each release’s test matrix for details):
| Part number | Description | SDK to flash |
|---|---|---|
| D0004 | RB5 Flight (EOL) | SDK 1.5.0 Final for RB5 Flight |
| D0008-4-V5 | Seeker Vision 5” (VOXL 2) | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| D0008-4-V6 | Seeker Vision 5” (VOXL 2) | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| D0008-9 | Seeker Vision 5” (QCS6490) | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| D0012 | Starling 2 Max | SDK 1.6.4 1.9 planned |
| D0013 | Stinger Vision | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| D0014 | Starling 2 | SDK 1.6.4 1.9 planned |
| D0019-4-V5 | Seeker Vision 7” (VOXL 2) | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| D0019-9 | Seeker Vision 7” (QCS6490) | SDK 1.6.8 Preinstalled1.8.1 planned |
| D0020-4-V5 | Seeker Vision 10” (VOXL 2) | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| D0020-4-V6 | Seeker Vision 10” (VOXL 2) | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| D0020-9 | Seeker Vision 10” (QCS6490) | SDK 1.8.0 Preinstalled 1.8.1 planned |
| M0006 | VOXL (apq8096) | SDK 1.3.5 Final for apq8096 |
| M0019 | VOXL Flight (apq8096) | SDK 1.3.5 Final for apq8096 |
| M0054 | VOXL 2 development kits | SDK 1.8.0 1.8.1 planned |
| M0104, M0204 | VOXL 2 Mini development kits | SDK 1.8.0 1.8.1 planned |
| R0001 | VRX Ground Unit | SDK 1.8.0 1.8.1 planned |
Release Index
| SDK series | Latest release | Released | Build artifacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDK 1.8 | 1.8.0 1.8.1 Nov 13 | October 12, 2026 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, VRX, QCS6490 |
| SDK 1.7 | Skipped last beta 1.7.0-beta5; moved to SDK 1.8 | - | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, VRX, QCS6490 |
| SDK 1.6 | 1.6.8 QCS6490, VOXL 2 1.6.4 VOXL 2 Mini, VRX | October 2026 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, VRX, QCS6490 |
| SDK 1.5 | 1.5.0 | June 25, 2025 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, RB5 |
| SDK 1.4 | 1.4.5 | May 16, 2025 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, RB5 |
| SDK 1.3 | 1.3.5 | October 3, 2024 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, RB5, VOXL, VOXL Flight (apq8096) |
| SDK 1.2 | 1.2.0 | April 15, 2024 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, RB5, VOXL, VOXL Flight (apq8096) |
| SDK 1.1 | 1.1.3 | February 26, 2024 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, RB5, VOXL, VOXL Flight (apq8096) |
| SDK 1.0 | 1.0.x | 2023 | VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, RB5, VOXL, VOXL Flight (apq8096) |
| SDK 0.9 and older | Legacy | 2022-2023 | VOXL, VOXL Flight (apq8096) |
To move to a new SDK release — including patch releases — download the full release from downloads.modalai.com and install it with a complete system flash. Upgrading individual packages in place with apt is not recommended: each SDK release is tested as a whole, and mixed package versions are not a supported configuration.
Table of contents
- SDK 1.8 Release Notes
- SDK 1.7 Release Notes
- SDK 1.6 Release Notes
- SDK 1.5 Release Notes
- SDK 1.4 Release Notes
- SDK 1.3 Release Notes
- SDK 1.2 Release Notes
- SDK 1.1 Release Notes
- SDK 1.0 Release Notes
- SDK 0.9 Release Notes
- Old Releases