All New Features in Android Nougat
Google has just closed the developer preview of “Android N”, the next version of Android. Moreover, it is available now. There are tons of new features, including a huge one that we’ve been wanting for a long time: multi-window support for phones and tablets. Here are the highlights of today’s announcement.
Multi-window allows you to run multiple applications at the same time
The obvious feature of the header is its multi-window support, which allows multiple applications to run side-by-side in the same view. With Android N, users will be able to run and use multiple apps side by side. Google hasn’t specified exactly how this will work, but the interface is very similar to Microsoft’s split-screen feature first introduced in Windows 8.1 . Apps can take up part of one side of the screen, and the app’s interface will adapt depending on how much screen real estate is allocated to it. Tablets will split from left to right, but phones will split from top to bottom unless you rotate the phone to landscape mode as shown above.
For now, Google says that developers need to enable this feature for their apps, which means that multi-windowing is likely to only work in apps that explicitly support it or have been updated to support it. However, this can also mean that developers can configure their applications to work with a multi-window interface by default, or choose to control the display of parts of the application. An “action” in Android can be all or part of an app’s design, so developers can allow users to pin certain parts of an app (for example, one to-do list from the entire app, or just one tab from the browser), but that’s just speculation for now.
Picture-in-picture supports video playback when you exit the app
Google also specifically named the new picture-in-picture mode. If you’ve ever used YouTube’s multitasking video player on your phone or tablet, this will sound familiar to you. Android N gives developers the ability to put actions such as videos in an overlay that runs on top of the rest of Android. This means that if you are watching a movie and need to check your email, or are using an Android device like Mohu Channels (or maybe even streaming a video to your TV ), you can minimize the video while you go back to the guide. channels or keep watching while you select something to play.
Google specifically says it’s useful for TV devices, which means it’s probably the most suitable for Android TV . However, it’s unclear if Google will allow this to be used on phones and tablets. We cross our fingers to overlay a YouTube video that works across all apps.
You can reply to any notification directly from the dropdown panel
In the newest version of Android, the notification shade is tweaked again, very useful this time. This most anticipated improvement allows users to respond to notifications from virtually any app without closing the curtains first or opening the app to view them.
Hangouts has a workaround that includes a similar quick reply feature, but this one will be built right into the shadow itself . It looks like this new implementation will be more similar to how iOS notifications currently work .
Apps can combine notifications and expand them later
Android N will provide developers with a new way to deal with the flow of notifications from a particularly chatty app. Now when you receive multiple alerts from the same application, they can be grouped into an expandable “package”. This may sound familiar to Inbox users . The package will be presented as a single notification in the shade. To dismiss them all, you can swipe the entire package with one swipe. Alternatively, you can use a two-finger swipe or click the Expand button to open the package and handle each notification separately. This will come in handy for apps that like to send tons of individual notifications for every little thing. I’m looking at you, Facebook.
New Android Public Beta Program Gives You Early Access By Air Without Being A Developer
In the old days, if you wanted to try out the latest experimental version of Android, you had to manually download and install it . Google now has a new program called Android Beta that will launch later today.
Just sign up and Google will not only send the developer preview of Android N to your device (assuming it’s supported), but you will automatically receive updates as Google releases them. Presumably, this is limited to devices that Google already includes in its developer program. This year this includes the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9, and Pixel C. If you still want to manually install Android N, you can download the preview images in the usual way. Android Police has compiled a list of image links here and we have a guide on how to install it .
These are not the only new features, but they are the most important. Google also mentioned improvements to Doze mode, a new Quick Settings UI, and more. We’ll be digging into the new version to see if we can find anything else that Google hasn’t announced . Later today we have a guide with information on all the ways to install the Android N Developer Preview, so stay tuned.