Google has just unveiled the Android M developer preview during its Google IO 2015 keynote, as expected. There’s no official name yet for that ‘M’ but the new build will be rolling out shortly to Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 smartphones, plus the Nexus 9 tablet and Nexus Player device. So what can we expect from this first taste of what could be Marshmallow or possibly Mars Bar?
This year’s Android update is about improving the core user experience - that includes squashing bugs, smoothing out UI niggles and generally making Android better to use all round. It’s a little vague compared to previous years where projects have had clear aims, like battery life or responsiveness, but there’s some good stuff coming none the less.
Now on tap
The most obvious and impressive new feature demoed was Now on Tap. This takes Google Now and spread it out across the operating system, so that you can use it pretty much wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. You simply make a long press on the Home button and Now slides up from the bottom of the screnn over whatever you’re doing
It’s driven by some very powerful context sensitive, intelligent search algorithims. Which means it scans the content you’re looking at and provides information around that, which may be useful. For example, you could make a voice query such as ‘how old is he?’ while looking at a page about Hugh Laurie, and Now on Tap will pop up the answer - it knows which ‘he’ you’re referring to.
If you’re reading an email and it mentions a film you can quickly get local screening times, or reviews. And it ties into other apps now too, so Google Now will offer IMDB for example to provide more information on that film. It all looks very clever and it could make Now a key part of Android, rather than simply an aside that most people don’t use very often.
Doze
Google is again promising to improve battery life, but this time its standby power that’s getting the boost. Doze is a new technology that detects when the device is motionless and unused and goes into a deeper sleep mode, polling for updates less often, but still available for important incoming events like calls or VoIP.
In internal tests, Google found it doubled the battery life of a Nexus 9 tablet, we’re guessing a not-much-used Nexus 9. Still we’ve always found our iPad lasts for ages longer on standby than our Google-power equivalent, so it sounds like a good move.
App Permissions
App permissions are a bit of a pain in Android. The more open nature of the Play Store, compared to say the App Store, means that you’re forever giving apps endless permissions to do things, many of which you aren’t happy with.
Now app permissions are granted when used, not at installation. So the first time an app tries to access your camera, it provides a request to do so, and you can agree once or forever. This way apps that may have certain functions you don’t use, don’t have access to things you don’t need them to access. For example, Skype, if you only use voice calls it doesn’t need to access your camera.
There will be a smaller, simpler set of permissions now, and you’ll be able to go in and edit them either by app, or by permission type (say contacts or microphone). Updates are now more seamless for apps as updated permissions don’t require agreement at install.
Finegerprint sensors
Support for fingerprint sensors is being added in Android M, in conjunction with a push on Android Pay - which seems to have superseded Google Wallet entirely. based on previous experience we won’t see Android Pay over here forever, but you will be able to authorise Play Store transactions and unlock your phone of course. Phones with scanners will be coming soon, so expect them on every flagship handset in 2016.
Other bits
Google is adding Chrome Custom Tabs to Android. These allow app developers to create browser tabs in their own style, to make the move from app content to web content smoother, allowing apps to integrate web content without a visually jarring effect.
There will also be Improved linking between apps, so you’ll see a lot less of that annoying screen that asks you to pick which app you want to open your request. Certified apps will be able to ‘own’ links connected to them, for example by default the Twitter app will own Twitter links, and you’ll get taken straight to it should you click on one in a browser. You’ll be able to reassign these if you prefer another app, but by default it will be a far more seamless app-to-app experience.
