Una big surprise today to learn that Google announces the previous for Android N developers available now for Nexus devices. Last year when Android 6.0 Marshmallow was announced at Google I / O 2016, the first preview was released for developers so that they could get on top of it and have the final version in October when the final version was released. Now all the schemes are broken, since apart from the announcement itself today of the Android N preview, we have also known that it will be in summer when we have the final version of the new major Android update.
Among the greatest features of Android N, these past weeks we have detailed some of its new features, is the multi-window, notifications with direct responses, grouped notifications and an improved Doze mode that, apart from working when it is on a ready surface, will work when you carry it in your pocket, so you can access an improved battery life of your smartphone. Quite a great surprise that we describe below in the most important keys.
Who would have thought that today we were going to be talking about the new Android update, but things are like that. In a quick reaction and that has to do with a continuous effort so that Android updates arrive earlier, yesterday we learned that Lollipop is now the most used version, Google has started with the release of the first developer preview. A first preview that will follow what happened with Marshmallow that was divided into three versions from May 2015 to October when it was presented.
We review the great news from Android N below.
Developer preview
The images of the Android N previews will be available from today for the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, General Mobile 4G (Android One), Nexus Player, Nexus 9 and Pixel C.
So those who have one of these Nexus devices will be able to know the biggest news in situ of this new version of Android to which we still have to know its name. Many said Nutella, but who knows what it will eventually be.
Android Beta Program
Google is announcing a new Android Beta program to make it easier to test new versions of Android on development devices via OTA. The direct link to this program is this: www.google.com/android/beta.
Una great opportunity to receive OTAs of the new versions that update the system to fix bugs and add new features.
Multi-window
One of the star features of Android N and that we finally see the support multitasking when splitting the screen in multi-windows. The new API for multi-windows also allows you to work with images and videos at the same time, which can give a lot of play for third-party developers. The YouTube mini window could be one of the biggest advantages in this regard so that we can be in our favorite social network while watching a video.
Notifications with direct responses
You will already know the characteristic of direct reply from Hangouts and Messenger in the notification bar, since the new API goes directly in this sense so that any app can take advantage of this new functionality to respond directly. It has great potential and we will see it from third-party apps such as Telegram and others. It will be curious to see how third-party developers take advantage of it.
Grouping the notifications
Surely when you receive several emails or several messages from the same person with a large number of notifications that finally makes you have to go directly to the app to read them. Android N's solution is grouped notifications, which contain multiple elements that can be expanded to show them all in the list, which allows you to perform an action on each of them individually.
If we add this functionality to the notifications with direct responses, the notification bar will greatly improve your productivity.
Improved Doze mode
We already know the advantages and battery life improvements with Doze ModeEven Sony has removed Stamina Mode to figure out how to combine it with this elegant system. In Android N, the Doze system will come into play not only when it is on a smooth surface, but when you carry it in your pocket it will also activate to improve the battery in that smartphone of a user who does not stop going there in the day.
Last details
Android now supports Java 8 features and from what we can tell from Hiroshi Lockheimer, Android N will be released in its final version to device manufacturers for this summer. This means that the OTAs could arrive sometime between June 21 and September 21.
We will also have a night mode that will be activated by time or location. And in summary, these are part of the main novelties to which more will be added as we know the details of Android N.