Android ”N” is the working title of an upcoming release of the Android mobile operating system. It was first released as a developer preview on March 9, 2016, with factory images for current Nexus devices, as well as a new “Android Beta Program” which allows supported devices to be upgraded directly to the Android ”N” beta via an over-the-air update.
The stable release of the operating system is expected in mid-2016.[2][3]
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.[4] 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. Notifications from a single app can also be “bundled”.[3]
The “Doze” power saving mechanisms introduced by 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.[3][5]
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.[5]
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.[6] Google stated 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 on the Android platform.[3][7]
Google later admitted in a court filing that this was part of an effort to address an ongoing lawsuit with Oracle surrounding its use of copyrighted Java APIs as part of the Android platform, as OpenJDK is expressly licensed by Oracle under the GNU General Public License (GPL) with a linking exception.[6][7]
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 condititions in the background. This change also increases the speed of the application “optimization” process that occurs on an app or system upgrade.[5]
See also
References
- ^ “Android N Preview 1”. android.googlesource.com. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- ^ “Google launches Android N developer preview and beta program”. VentureBeat. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d “Surprise! The Android N Developer Preview is out right now”. Ars Technica. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ Amadeo, Ron (21 March 2016). “This is Android N’s freeform window mode”. Ars Technica. Condé Nast.
- ^ a b c “Android N for Developers”. Android Developers. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ a b “Android N switches to OpenJDK, Google tells Oracle it is protected by the GPL”. Ars Technica. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ a b “Google confirms next Android version won’t implement Oracle’s proprietary Java APIs”. VentureBeat. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
External links
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