A year after Google launched the first Android N developer preview, the company is now releasing one for the next major version of Android named "O," or what some others speculate to be called Oreo down the line.
While rumors have offered up new features that might be included in the update, Google hasn't coughed up any official word. That stops now, with the release of the first Android O developer preview.
A key difference between O and past major versions of Android is availability. TechCrunch notes that while Google immediately pushed out Android N previews over-the-air to anyone who wanted a taste of the Nougat flavor, the company isn't launching O into the Android Beta channel right away. Google is instead offering those who own a Nexus 5X, 6P, Nexus Player, Pixel, Pixel XL, or Pixel C, to flash their devices manually. But what happens if a user doesn't own any of these devices? No worries. Google will still open O for enrollment after a bit more developer testing.
In terms of new features, Android O isn't much of a stunner. The UI still looks relatively the same, as shown by early testing by developers. Instead, Google has burrowed underneath the operating system's surface, applying tweaks here and there.
Here are the most interesting changes and improvements in Android O you need to know:
Notification Channels
With Android O comes so-called notification channels, which by the looks of it will provide developers to wring multiple notifications into groups. For instance, possibly for a Reddit app or some sort, notifications can be grouped according to a subreddit a user particularly follows, thereby easing the pandemonium that can quickly arise from a plethora of notifications that can accumulate over time.
Picture-In-Picture Mode
Previously rumored, picture-in-picture is now a thing of reality on Android O, although other OEMs did have a similar feature in the past, such as Samsung, so it isn't anything revolutionary by any measure. But it is a welcome update. With picture-in-picture, users can set video content to the side while they navigate to other apps to perform other tasks.
Background App Limiting
The past few major Android updates focused mainly on improving the software so as to consume the phone's battery more efficiently. Android O resumes the principle with its background limits system for apps. With it, app functions and processes become limited when they're stashed in the background, or unused. There are three areas it's focused on: implicit broadcasts, background services, and location updates.
Updated Wi-Fi Features
How can Wi-Fi even be improved? By supporting new connectivity features, of course. Android O will support added Wi-Fi aware features, such as Neighborhood Aware Networking, or NAN. This feature makes it easy for two devices to communicate without internet connectivity as a middle man. Google states that it's collaborating with partners to push NAN support to devices.
Adaptive Icons
Custom Android skins often come with their proprietary app icon design. The Pixel uses circles, Samsung uses a combination of circular and square shapes, and other manufacturers try to mimic Apple's rounded icon design. Adaptive Icons on Android O will let developers pick a background image and have it adapt to the custom Android skin.
Better Keyboard Navigation
Android tablets hold the promise of productivity. But thanks to an erring keyboard navigation system, that promise is hurt. Google plans to improve that with Android O, stating that it is "focused on building a more reliable, predictable model for 'arrow' and 'tab' navigation." How exactly this will be implemented remains nebulous.
Apart from all features listed aloft, there are quite a bunch of new improvements detailed by the Android Developers Blog, so if you really want to trail the nooks and crannies of the first Android O developer preview, give that post a read.
Google is poised to elaborate on everything listed herein and beyond in May, during its I/O developer conference. If the company mirrors its schedule last year, the first Android phones to come with Android O could be released sometime in October.
Thoughts about Android O's new features? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
