Skip to main content

Android N Developer Preview 2 Now Available, Brings Bug Fixes, and New Features

Google last month released the first Developer Preview of Android N for developers introducing a host of new features including multi-window support, notification enhancements, background optimisations, number-blocking, and other new features. The company on Wednesday released the second Developer Preview of Android N in the form of factory images for eligible devices, and, OTA updates for devices enrolled in the Android Beta Program. The latest Developer Preview brings new features including Launcher shortcuts, Emoji Unicode 9 support, and more.

As before, the Android N Developer Preview will be available to eligible devices including the Nexus 6,Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, and Pixel C devices. Google has also added the General Mobile 4G Android One smartphone to receive the N Developer Preview 2. In a post, Dave Burke, VP of Engineering, revealed that the Nexus Player users will have to wait a bit to receive the latest Developer Preview 2 which can be expected to follow in next few days.

Burke listed some of the fixes that the latest preview of Android N brings including fixes for not being able to connect to hidden Wi-Fi networks, fix to multi-window pauses, and direct reply closing an open activity, to name a few. The company says that the users enrolled under Beta Program as well as developers who are testing the Android N Developer Preview can continue to send feedback as well as report issues in the N Developer Preview issue tracker or in the N preview community.

Some of the new features that are being rolled out with the latest Developer Preview include Vulkan, a new 3D rendering API which is aimed at providing a significant boost in performance for heavy apps. Burke adds that Vulkan is now a part of the platform with Android N. Another new addition is the Launcher shortcuts, which will allow apps to define shortcuts for users to quickly launch an app. The Launcher shortcuts will show up in a new style. The Developer Preview 2 also brings support for Emoji Unicode 9 which means that the OS will get support for new emojis including new emoji design for people emoji and support for skin tone variations. The latest Preview also adds Unicode 9 emoji support, including the bacon, selfie, and face palm. Some of the minor additions that the Developer Preview 2 adds is a new Calculator Quick setting tile and a new 'Clear All' button that appears on the recent apps list.

Home screen folders also received a slight redesign, with the folder icon showing the first four apps in the folder. A new initial setup screen was also observed, called 'Anything else', asking users what else they would like to do before using their freshly formatted phone for the first time - from adding an additional email account to control lock screen notification. Finally, the Emergency Information feature first seen in Android N Developer Preview 1 has been redesigned, including the setup screen, where users can now also add emergency contacts.

"This update includes API changes as we continue to refine features such as multi-window support (you can now specify a separate minimum height and minimum width for an activity), notifications, and others," explained Burke. With the latest Preview, Google has also released new factory images which are now available to download on Google's developer site.

As before, the easiest way to get the latest Developer Preview is by enrolling into the device in the Android Beta Program (g.co/androidbeta).

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Virtual reality set to transform filmmaking

Chris Milk stepped onto a TED Conference stage and took the audience on an awe-inducing trip into the future of movies. While much of the early attention on virtual reality has focused on use of the immersive technology in video games, Milk and his US startup Vrse are using it to transform storytelling and filmgoing. "We have just started to scratch the surface of the true power of virtual reality," Milk said. "It's not a video game peripheral. It connects humans to other humans in a profound way... I think virtual reality has the potential to actually change the world." He had everyone in the Vancouver audience at TED , which ended Friday, hold Google Cardboard viewers to their eyes for what was billed as the world's collective virtual reality experience. Google Cardboard gear is literally that -- cardboard
Continue reading »

10 Smartphones with Features that You Won't Find in Any Other Phone

Here’s a list of phones which are first-of-their-kind. From feature phones to smartphones, flat screen to curved, fragile to shatterproof, mobile phones have evolved over the years. Although many industry analysts would like to call the current level of innovation reaching a stagnation point, there still are some manufacturers which have been able to surprise consumers by truly packing something different in their smartphones. We have compiled a list of phones which offer first-of-its-kind features, and they are not merely concepts. 1. Motorola X force - Shatterproof display Display today is the most vulnerable yet the most neglected element in modern smartphones. But Motorola finally paid heed to the fragile screen with the launch of the the Motorola X Force – the world’s first smartphone with a shatterproof display. The phone uses the Moto ShatterShield display technology, which is said to be an integrated system consisting of five layers designed from material...
Continue reading »

10 years of Twitter: Key milestones in the micro-blogging site's decade-long history

Over its 10-year history, Twitter has marked numerous world events and created its own unique moments. Here are a few key milestones in Twitter history: just setting up my twttr — Jack (@jack)  March 21, 2006 March 2006:  Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (@jack) sent the first tweet, an automated message saying "just setting up my twttr." That same day, he sent the first live tweet, "inviting coworkers." Arrested — James Buck (@jamesbuck)  April 10, 2008 April 2008:  US university student James Buck (@jamesbuck) got off a one-word tweet "Arrested" after being taken into custody by Egyptian authorities at an anti-government protest in that country. In what is seen as an early demonstration of the power of Twitter to rally people to a cause, the resulting outcry prompted authorities to quickly restore his liberty. He proclaimed his release in a tweet reading "Free." http://twitpic.com/135xa - There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm ...
Continue reading »