If you’re trying to decide if you should install the new Android N Beta or Developer Preview, or if it’s worth waiting until the release in the summer, below are some additional details, what’s new, what’s broken and more for users. Some of the features of Android N include improved notifications, split-screen multitasking, an improved settings app, recent apps, Dark Mode, and Data Saver feature just to name a few.
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If you are interested in trying out the developer preview head over to g.co/androidbeta where, later today, Google is launching the “Android Beta Program“. The company has released the device as a preview for the developers so by the time the Google I/O takes place, the users are familiar with the concepts and can be briefed more about the same. Activities in this system can also go into picture-in-picture mode on devices such as the TV.
As for what N in Android N stands for, in absence of any confirmation from Google, we can expect it to be to be called either Nectarine, Nacho Cheese sauce, Nutella, Nonpareil, Numbles or just Nut.
This Developer Preview release is for app developers only and is designed for use in compatibility testing and early development only.
Google has sprung a major surprise by releasing an early preview version of Android N, the next major iteration of its mobile operating system. Notifications will also be grouped by the app that sent them.
Another big change coming with Android N involves notifications. So if you get a text message, you can hit “reply” right in the notification and start typing without opening up the messaging app. With apps such as Chrome, Google Search, and the Play Store are front and center on a device, Google’s heavy handed pre-bundling may be robbing independent developers of a legitimate chance to compete. The multi-window app support will make using Android for productivity much more doable, especially on tablets like the Pixel C and Nexus 9, and the notification shade is more powerful with quick replies and toggles up top.
The next version of Android is usually released in the wake of the Google I/O developer’s conference in May. The reason? There/s some great features included in the preview, the first being multi-window support. Last but not least, Doze will now be working if your phone isn’t moving and when the screen’s turned off. So we’re probably going to see some slight increase in battery life for phones running on Android N. “With Android’s Jack compiler, you can now use many popular Java 8 language features, including lambdas and more, on Android versions as far back as Gingerbread”.
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Android N: Want to know more?
