diff --git a/app/build.xml b/app/build.xml
index 4c20976b6..f6cf1c33e 100644
--- a/app/build.xml
+++ b/app/build.xml
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
     <echo message="override ${env.JAVA_HOME}/lib/tools.jar" />
     <fail />
 -->
-    <javac source="1.6" target="1.6"
+    <javac source="1.8" target="1.8"
 	   srcdir="src"
 	   destdir="bin"
 	   encoding="UTF-8"
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
   <target name="test" depends="compile" description="Runs the test">
     <mkdir dir="test-bin"/>
 
-    <javac source="1.6" target="1.6"
+    <javac source="1.8" target="1.8"
            srcdir="test"
            destdir="test-bin"
            encoding="UTF-8"
diff --git a/arduino-core/build.xml b/arduino-core/build.xml
index 6245ed6b5..cef9fe404 100644
--- a/arduino-core/build.xml
+++ b/arduino-core/build.xml
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@
     <property environment="env" />
     <property name="java_home" value="${env.JAVA_HOME}" />
 
-    <javac source="1.6"
-           target="1.6"
+    <javac source="1.8"
+           target="1.8"
            encoding="UTF-8"
            includeAntRuntime="false"
            srcdir="src"