Android N

In case you hadn’t heard, Android N adds a split-screen mode for phones/tablets and picture-in-picture for Android TV. As previously reported, it also has code references to a freeform mode that allows users to freely resize an app. Now, ArsTechnica (via developer Zhuowei Zhang) has managed to enable the mode and it reveals a very desktop-like UI…

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While Google surprised us all by releasing the Android N developer preview last week, it hasn’t seen fit to announce a name for the software yet. Of course, that could simply be because it hasn’t thought up a name. After all, it didn’t see fit to finally confirm that Android 6.0’s ‘Tasty Treat’ name would be Marshmallow until late August last year, a couple of months after the dev preview dropped at Google I/O 2015.

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The first Android N dev preview dropped last week, and since then, we’ve been digging in to the new operating system to find out what’s new. We’ve already covered the biggest changes, but here’s a list of 14 slightly less obvious and hidden ones.

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You might not know that Chrome for Android has two ways of dealing with downloads. When there is a file you want to save, you will often click on a link which redirects you to a blank page where a pop-up window asks for your consent to download the file, which is essentially the ‘Downloads’ (or ‘Download Manager’) app making its way into Chrome. Another way of downloading a file is to simply long press on it and consequently click ‘save’. This second method utilizes Chrome’s built-in downloader, which is seeing some welcomed additions with the upcoming version 50 of the Chrome app (via AndroidPolice).

While the stable version of Chrome on the Android N preview already has the functionality built in (because the OS comes with Chrome v50), both the v49 currently running on Marshmallow and the latest build of Chrome Beta do not. What the latest iteration of the browser allows you to do, though, is to both pause and resume files that are being downloaded, and also to delete them altogether in case you were to start downloading something unintentionally…

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Update: Freeform is mentioned in the Android N developer documents as a mode that manufacturers of larger devices can enable to allow users to freely resize an app.

Android N will bring a much-needed split-screen mode to tablets when it comes out this summer, but Google might have more ambitious plans as code references to “freeform windows” were discovered by Ars Technica in the Android N Developer Preview.

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If you’ve ever updated software on your Android smartphone or tablet, you’ve almost certainly seen that infuriating ‘Optimizing Apps’ popup up card immediately after installing and booting up your device. Depending on how many apps you have, it can take anytime between a couple of minutes and a bazillion years (slight exaggeration) to get past this stage. Thankfully, with Android N, we won’t have to wait for very long at all…

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The first Android N dev preview just dropped earlier today, and to say that Google’s launch timing surprised us is something of an understatement. Still, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get it installed on our devices and see what’s what in the next version of Android.

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Update: While it wasn’t appearing at first, it seems that the Nexus Player is now being listed as a compatible device with the program. Additionally, the General Mobile 4G (Android One) device is now compatible as well.

Google has now — as promised — just launched the Android Beta Program. With this program (much like similar programs from Apple), you can enroll your device to receive the latest beta builds of Android and receive them over-the-air without the need to do any manual flashing. Head over to the Android Beta Program website to sign up…

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Android head Hiroshi Lockheimer has revealed in a post on Medium today that the next version of Google’s mobile operating system will be available to OEMs this summer. On a more whimsical note, Lockheimer notes that Google is still deciding on what dessert name to bestow upon the OS. “We’re nut tellin’ you yet,” he says.

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Today marked the release of the first Android N developer preview, and factory images are now available if you want to install the update on your device. If you’re anything like me, though, you would rather not completely wipe your daily driver (Nexus 6P, in my case), just to get some hands-on time with some buggy software. That’s why we’ve compiled this huge list of new features and a gallery of Android N screenshots for your perusal…

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Google introduced to the world the next version of Android, dubbed Android N, oddly early this year compared to the usual announcement at its I/O developer conference. And while the currently-available version may be a developer preview, many who aren’t as familiar with how to flash factory images might want to try the latest build of the mobile OS as well.

If you have the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, or Pixel C, there’s a build of Android N available for you to install prior to the update’s official unveiling later this year. Be warned however, as this is a very early build of the OS and is riddled with bugs, glitches, and overall performance jankiness. If that doesn’t sway you, though, keep reading…

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In a surprise move, Google announced today (as we told you earlier this morning) that the Android N developer preview is available for download. The simplest route is through the yet-to-be launched Android Beta Program, but as usual Google has also posted the factory images.

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Update: It’s out!

If a now-pulled Arstechnica report is to be believed, Google is set to release the first preview build of Android N to the public soon. This seemingly confirms a tip we received a few days ago suggesting that Google wouldn’t be announcing a major version of Android at I/O later this year. The new version is said to bring a native split screen mode, a completely redesigned notification panel, improvements to Android M’s “Doze” feature, among other features…

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Last month, a screenshot from Google revealed that the Android N Settings app will feature a hamburger menu and now, new mockups from Android Police detail the refreshed Settings app and point to slight visual redesigns in the next version of Android.

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According to screenshots seen by Android Police, Android N will introduce a redesigned quick settings panel and notification shade. The site only offers mock-ups of the possible refresh and it’s safe to say that the design might change between now, the announcement, and the final version.

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We might have had our first look at Android N late last week, but now it looks like we might already be getting another one. In a tweet from the official Google Maps Twitter account, a Nexus 6P is seemingly shown without an app drawer…

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One of the arguably biggest efforts pulled off by Google in recent times is its massive visual facelift that goes by the name of ‘Material Design‘.  Among the most prominent concrete examples of its practical application, Android certainly stands out, and in Google’s commitment towards bringing a more unified and consistent looking OS, the company may be taking things a step further by the time Android N lands.

In a report from Android Police, the publication independently confirmed that screenshots found on the Android Developers blog post about Android Support Library v23.2 are coming from a yet-unreleased version of the OS, which seems to be implementing the famous hamburger menu inside the Settings app…

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