Android "N" is the codename of an upcoming release of the Android operating system. It was first released as a developer preview on March 9, 2016, with factory images for current Nexus devices, as well as with the new "Android Beta Program" which allows supported devices to be upgraded directly to the Android "N" beta via over-the-air update.
Google outlines the schedule on their website and indicates final release in August or September.[1]
History
There will be 5 Android N preview releases before the final release in Q3 2016. An updated preview is released each month (4 to 6 week interval).[2] The N Developer Preview started on 9 March 2016 with the release of Preview 1.[3] On April 13, 2016, Android N Developer Preview 2 was announced.[4] Android N Developer Preview 3 became available on May 18, 2016.
Google further discussed Android "N" during the Google I/O keynote on May 18, 2016, and unveiled its new virtual reality platform Daydream. During the conference, a new "beta-quality" preview build of Android "N" was released, and Google announced that it would hold a contest to determine the official release name of the operating system.[5][6][7]
Features
"N" introduces a split-screen multi-window mode, in which two apps can be snapped to occupy halves of the screen. An experimental freeform multi-window mode is also available as a hidden feature, where multiple apps can appear simultaneously on the screen.[8] The notification shade was also redesigned, featuring a smaller row of icons for settings, replacing notification cards with a "sheet" design, and allowing inline replies to notifications implemented via existing APIs used with Android Wear. Multiple notifications from a single app can also be "bundled".[9]
Seamless updates are also introduced, following Chrome OS.[10] Software updates will be able to install in the background and run with only a reboot. This is possible because of the introduction of two system partitions, one for use and the other for updates.
The "Doze" power saving mechanism introduced in Marshmallow was expanded to include a state activated when the device is running on battery and the screen has been off for a period of time, but is not stationary. In this state, network activity is restricted, and apps are granted "maintenance windows" in which they can access the network and perform background tasks. The full Doze state is activated if the device is stationary for a period of time.[9][11]
A new "Data Saver" mode restricts background mobile data usage, and can trigger internal functions in apps that are designed to reduce bandwidth usage, such as capping the quality of streaming media among other examples.[11]
Developer Preview 2 added platform support for Vulkan,[12][13][14] the new low-level 3D rendering API to augment OpenGL ES but with higher graphics performance. A new set of human emoji was also included in this version of the preview, with support for skin tones.[15][16]
Development platform
In December 2015, Google announced that Android N would switch its Java Runtime Environment from the defunct Apache Harmony to OpenJDK—the official open source implementation of the Java platform maintained by Oracle Corporation and the Java community.[17] Google promoted that the shift was part of an effort to create a "common code base" between Java on Android and other platforms and allow use of popular Java 8 features in code.[9][18] The switch is actually to address litigation with Oracle surrounding its use of copyrighted Java APIs as part of the Android platform, as OpenJDK is expressly licensed under the GNU General Public License—meaning that it can be freely used by Google as long as the company remains in compliance with its terms.[17][18]
The Android Runtime (ART) now incorporates a profile-guided compilation system, utilizing a JIT compiler and profiling alongside its current ahead-of-time compiler to further optimize apps for a device's hardware and other conditions in the background. This change also increases the speed of the application "optimization" process that occurs on an app or system upgrade.[11]
See also
References
External links
Vorlage:Android Vorlage:Google Inc.
- ↑ https://developer.android.com/preview/overview.html
- ↑ Program Overview | Android Developers. In: developer.android.com. Abgerufen am 5. Juni 2016.
- ↑ Program Overview | Android Developers. In: developer.android.com. Abgerufen am 5. Juni 2016.
- ↑ Android N Developer Preview 2, out today! In: Android Developers blog. Abgerufen am 5. Juni 2016.
- ↑ Google details Android N features ahead of late summer release. In: The Verge. Abgerufen am 11. Juni 2016.
- ↑ Google's latest Android N beta is meant for everyone. In: The Verge. Abgerufen am 11. Juni 2016.
- ↑ Google wants your help naming Android N. In: VentureBeat. Abgerufen am 11. Juni 2016.
- ↑ Ron Amadeo: This is Android N’s freeform window mode. In: Ars Technica. Condé Nast, 21. März 2016.
- ↑ a b c Referenzfehler: Ungültiges
<ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen ars-npreview. - ↑ http://www.androidauthority.com/android-n-seamless-updates-693500/
- ↑ a b c Android N for Developers. In: Android Developers. Abgerufen am 10. März 2016.
- ↑ The Android platform includes an Android-specific implementation of the Vulkan API specification.
- ↑ The Android platform includes an Android-specific implementation of the Vulkan API specification from the Khronos Group. 5. April 2016.
- ↑ Optimize, Develop, and Debug with Vulkan Developer Tools. 13. April 2016.
- ↑ Support and Release Notes - Developer Preview 2. Google Inc., 13. April 2016, abgerufen am 14. April 2016.
- ↑ Chris Welch: Google releases Android N update with new emoji and launcher shortcuts. In: The Verge. Vox Media, 13. April 2016, abgerufen am 14. April 2016.
- ↑ a b Android N switches to OpenJDK, Google tells Oracle it is protected by the GPL. In: Ars Technica. Abgerufen am 7. Januar 2016.
- ↑ a b Google confirms next Android version won’t implement Oracle’s proprietary Java APIs. In: VentureBeat. Abgerufen am 30. Dezember 2015.