The biggest new feature in this Android N developer preview is, as Google promised, multiwindow.
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Yesterday morning, out of the blue, Google released the first Android N Developer Preview for Nexus devices.
By releasing a super-early preview, Google is giving app developers more time to flawless their wares before the final release, across all of the 400-plus companies now making Android phones, Lockheimer explained. It seems Android N will see this functionality finally bearing some fruit.
It’s now easier to bounce between apps – simply double tap the recently used apps button to switch.
There’s also a Direct Boot feature in Android N and this mode is on when the device is on, but the user has not unlocked it.
At the moment, fewer than 3% of Android phones run the latest OS, Marshmallow. In N, Doze saves even more battery when the screen is off. The newly enhanced capability, is “a great feature for apps that play video”, he said.
Project Svelte improvements. Google says it is continuing to invest in Project Svelte, an effort to reduce Android’s memory usage, helping it to run on a broader range of device types.
Historically, Google offers a taste of its latest Android software package in May at its developer conference, then unfurls the full thing at a hardware launch in the fall.
Google Developers, part of the Beta program, can download the Android N preview.
Most Android fans were not expecting to catch a glimpse of the next version of Google’s mobile operating system until Google I/O in May, resorting to mockups of Android N to get a feel on what it would look like. Google hopes simplifying the preview install process will encourage more developers to check it out.
The developer preview is available on the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 and Pixel C devices, with Google to invite consumers to try it out as well once it gets closer to the final product. Apps that already use JobScheduler to manage background tasks are safe, but Google has updated JobScheduler so developers who’ve not already taken advantage can catch up easily.
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Toggles for quick settings have also been improved and are shown as a small row of icons where users can easily turn on WiFi, Bluetooth and other settings. In reference to the Android N, Lockheimer recently wrote in a blog post, “We’re nut tellin’ you yet”. Remember, this is a developer preview, so there will be bugs.
