14 DAY TRIAL // Android fans have been taken by surprise by Google's Android N developer preview release this week. This is the earliest launch of a beta version of Android OS since its initial release.
Although Android N developer preview is only available for four smartphones (Nexus 6, Nexus 5x, Nexus 6P, and General Mobile 4), more devices might be added in the coming months.
Along with the release of Android N, Google has also published some details on the most important features included in the new version of the OS.
One of the most exciting is Project Svelte, which promises to minimize RAM used by system and apps across the range of Android devices in the ecosystem. According to Google, Project Svelte is supposed to focus on optimizing how apps run in the background.
Speaking of which, Doze mode introduced in Android 6.0 Marshmallow will feature an improved version in Android N. Basically, Doze will now be able to save battery while on the go since anytime the display is off for a period and the device is unplugged, this mode will apply a subset of their familiar CPU and network restrictions to apps.
Doze mode kicks in a short time after the screen turns off while the device is on battery, and it will restrict network access and defers jobs and syncs.
Another major feature included in Android N is multi-window support. This is one of the most requested features, and Google has finally decided that it's time to provide this functionality to Android users.
But how does it work? It's pretty simple, as users can now pop open two apps on the screen at the same time. On phones and tablets running Android N, users will be able to run two apps side by side or one above the other in splitscreen mode. The apps can be resized by dragging the divider between them.
Direct reply, custom views, and template update
Some notification enhancements have been implemented as well, such as template update, bundled notifications, direct reply, and custom views.
The new bundled notifications feature enables the system to group messages together, for example by message topic and display the group.
Google also states that the Android system supports inline replies so that users can quickly respond to an SMS or text message directly within the notification interface.
There are a lot more new features and improvements included in Android N, most of them for developers, so make sure you check them all out on Android N for Developers page.
