Google’s brand new Android N beta and developer program is already here, and it’s a tempting offer for Nexus smartphone and tablet owners.
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New features touted by Google included the ability for applications to launch split-screen modes on smartphones or tablets.
The supported devices for the Android N Preview are the Nexus 5X, the Nexus 6, the Nexus 6P, the Nexus 9, the Nexus 9G, the Nexus Player and the Pixel C. All we know is that it is now going by the codename N. We also know Android N is expected to be unveiled at Google I/O opening on 18 May 2016.
Among the new features that Google wants developers to test out is improved support for Java 8, the latest version of the de facto standard programming language for Android OSes.
Direct reply notifications. As with Android Wear today, Android users will be able to reply to incoming message notifications quickly and conveniently, without leaving the notification shade. Meanwhile, notifications can let you reply directly across the system, and each app can bundle its notifications under one card to avoid clogging up your center – and the center itself sees visual tweaks.
Google said Android N’s new feature set isn’t limited to those new bells and whistles.
Project Svelte is Google’s attempt to minimise RAM usage by Android and apps on devices.
Of note, there are some differences between the way Apple and Google implemented some of these similar features. That being said, every Android build comes with an easter egg, and thanks to the folks at Phone Radar, Android N’s easter egg has been found.
Coming to the features, the Google’s Android for the first time introduces a split-screen mode, an improved notifications and longer battery life. The company has officially commented on it, saying “In Android N we’re removing three commonly-used implicit broadcasts – Connectivity_Action, Action_New_Picture, and Action_New_Video – since those can wake the background processes of multiple apps at once and strain memory and battery”. Google is also throwing in a picture-in-picture mode, which sounds like it’ll let you view a video in a small window while performing other tasks.
The Android Beta Program gives developers an opportunity to try out pre-release versions of Android.
The “Dark theme for Android OS” is pretty neat and we really hope it makes it to the final version of Android N this time.
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There are many other significant improvements in Android N but these are the major ones. In reference to the Android N, Lockheimer recently wrote in a blog post, “We’re nut tellin’ you yet”.
