In keeping with the new release schedule it established last year
with N, today Google has made Android O official. What's more, the
company has also published factory images
for the first Developer Preview of the new Android version. This build
will not be made available through the Android Beta Program, however,
it's meant only for developers to be able to get an idea of what's new.
Speaking of which, let's see what Google's putting into O (which doesn't
have a full name at this point, despite the entire internet wanting it
to be called Android Oreo).
Background limits
There will be new automatic limits imposed onto apps, and
specifically what they can do in the background. These should result in
improved performance and battery life, while also making it easier for
developers to create apps that work well and don't destroy your battery.
Background limits represent a significant change in how Android works,
however these will only come into effect for apps that target Android O.
Notification channels and snoozing
Notifications are getting a boost in Android O too. This time around
developers will be able to define categories for notification content,
so that users will have fine-grained control over the different kinds of
notifications that each app can show. Each channel will be blockable
individually, so you'll have more options than just blocking all of the
notifications from a particular app.
Additionally, Android O adds new grouping and visuals to
notifications, making it easier to see what's going on in the
notification shade at a glance. A snoozing function is in too, which
gets rid of a notification for a period of time, and then shows it
again. Background colors for notifications will be able to be set by
developers, but only for ongoing tasks which are critical for users to
see - such as driving directions.
Picture-in-Picture mode, Autofill API
First seen on Android TV, Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode is now a
thing on phones and tablets too. So you'll be able to watch videos while
doing other stuff - think about what already happens in the YouTube app
when you hit Back after you start playing a video. So that, but
OS-wide. The PiP windows will have support for playback controls too.
Multi-display support is coming to Android as well, though the use cases
for this are probably tied to Chromebooks running Android apps.
O will have a system-wide Autofill API so apps such as password
managers will be able to register as autofill providers and offer to be
your default autofill solution.
More
Android O also gets font resources in XML, support for adaptive app
icons, wide-gamut color for apps (think AdobeRGB, Pro Photo RGB,
DCI-P3), LDAC, Wi-Fi Aware (for nearby devices to communicate via Wi-Fi
without an internet access point), as well as the Telecom framework -
which lets third party calling apps integrate with the system. This
means your car head unit's call and reject buttons will work with
third-party apps (think VoIP) too.
Navigating via keyboard will be revamped for Chrome OS devices, and a
new API will be out for apps that need high-performance low-latency
audio. The Android Runtime should be faster than ever before, with
improvements of up to 2x.
Release timeline
The final release of Android O is planned to hit in the third quarter
of this year. Until then, there will be three more Developer Preview
(DP) builds. DP2 will come in mid-to-late May, DP3 with the final APIs
in mid-to-late June, and DP4 should land in mid-to-late July. Starting
with DP2 you'll be able to try Android O by using the Android Beta
Program too.
The DP1 factory images are available for the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, and Pixel C, as well as the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Nexus Player.
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