The launch of Google’s Android O operating system is closing in on us. The company recently released the second Android O developer preview during Google I/O. According to the release schedule, two more developer previews will follow in June and July respectively, followed by the official launch of the final product in the third quarter of this year, probably in August. An early-September release is also possible. The first developer preview already unveiled a number of new features, and the second one only adds to those. The most exciting thing about the Android O is that, according to Google, it will be twice as fast as the Nougat was.
Back in March, when the first DP appeared, the first thing that struck us was the visual changes it brought along. The notifications shade has changed and is now larger and suffered some changes in the toggles-order also. Even though the notifications shade got larger, the font used for the date and time has shrunk, so there will be more space for status bar icons. The new software also brings bundled notifications and quick reply. Another change concerning the notifications consists of the possibility for users to disable all future notifications from an app by long pressing on the notification.
The Quick Settings have also changed and now allow users to complete two different actions. If they tap the icon they can turn the setting on or off, but if they tap the word underneath the icon, a mini settings menu will pop up. This change only applies to underlined toggles. Those that don’t have a line beneath them will just enable features or take users through different modes. App badges, a different settings menu, changes in the status bar, and a reinvented navigation bar were also visible in the first developer preview. The Autofill API was also a great addition to the software.
The second developer preview comes with even more news. Google just presented Fluid Experiences and Picture-in-Picture. The first one is meant to help users be more productive, while the latter keeps the user’s YouTube video on the screen while they navigate other apps. Now, Android O users will also have Notification Dots, which will enable them to get a short list of immediate shortlink actions they can perform by long-pressing the app’s icon. Smart Text Selection is also a new feature that will prove to be useful to many people. Whenever users will highlight a phone number or an address, they will be able to instantly call the number or get directions towards the selected address.
Google will include security tools, OS optimizations, and tools for developers under the Vitals banner. This way, users will be able to easily access all these features from one place. The Google Play Protect is also a new tool, which is basically a virus scanner for Android apps. As you can see, there will be a great deal of new features coming along with the Android O. We still can’t really figure out how Google managed o turn the new software into a twice as fast operating system as the Nougat is. After all, the Android 7.0 was already a zippy software. However amazed we are by this, Google stated that not only will the Android O enable devices to reboot twice as quickly as Nougat ones did, apps will also reportedly work twice as fast.
There is a possibility that Google overestimated the capabilities of the new software. However, even it won’t be twice as fast, but it will be faster than the current version, it still is awesome. Android O devices will definitely be the fastest ones on the market this year. Of course, Apple will also speed up the iOS, but it’s hard to imagine it will be as fast as the Android O.
Source: Android Authority
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