Hello Android O: Nine Features Of Google’s Latest OS

App Development

28
Aug 2017

2548 Views 5 Minute Read

In the tech world, no operating system can enjoy an immortal existence because there is always an update or new OS to give it a good send forth to the present one. Since the Android 7.0 Nougat has come and gone, Android O isn't going to last forever either, but there is a lot for Android app developers to look forward to with this new trend.

With the release of Android O, Google is giving mobile app development companies the opportunity to transform the way your phone works again.

Even if, as a developer in the mobile app development company India, you are not too excited about jumping on this initial build, it is worth the effort to understand and find all the new OS features.

Below is a list of nine features Android app developers should know about Android O:

Android O New Features

1. Better Battery Life:

Previous Android updates in Android Marshmallow and Nougat have showcased features like Doze mode that helped preserve precious battery life but putting it in a low-power state when it in your pocket. However, the new OS promises to do even more by preventing apps from consuming end users charge.

With Android O, Google is providing further automatic limits to what an app can do in the background. Android app developers may have to find ways around ensuring their current apps or update release can function with the new automatic limits. It’s important to note that the result would be a more efficient and long lasting device.

2. Picture-in-Picture:

Android O is introducing a Picture-in-Picture (PIP) video support. What this means is that, with PIP, smartphone users can minimize any video they are watching to a small window and continue watching it while operating another app. It's so amazing because, with this feature, you don't have to leave an online stream platform to send a boring work email or hire an Uber transport.

Of course, this kind of feature has been seen before on some Samsung phones, those phones are no longer in the market.

Android app developers can specify the aspect ratio they want their apps to adjust to and can set custom interactions on the PIP window.

3. Improved Sound Quality:

Google is introducing many new features targeted at audiophiles through their new OS, Android O. With the audio quality enhancements in Android O, Google hopes to ease your transition to using Bluetooth earbuds as headset ports are becoming obsolete.

With support for high-quality Bluetooth audio codecs such as LDAC, Android O will improve the quality of your wireless cans by allowing Hi-Res Audio playback over Bluetooth.

4. Adaptive Icons:

Usually, Android device makers use their custom OS skins, that can alter the way the shape and look of app icons correspond with the others you download from Play Store. However, Android O promises a solution to that.

With this feature, Android app developers can create “adaptive icons” that will offer several shape options that automatically shift depending on the theme of your home screen. Whether it is Sphere shape, rounded square, or some other shape in between, Google’s newest OS plans to assist you to maintain a consistent and unified home screen grid by allowing developers to pack in multiple options.

These Adaptive icons will be supported in the device settings, launcher, the app overview screen, and shortcuts.

5. More Notification Controls:

A new feature, notification channels, has been included in Google’s new OS Android O. With this feature, you can modify some types of classes of app notifications. What this simply means is that you can prevent not-really-useful notifications and make sure only the important notifications call for your attention. This comes handy to filtering notifications from annoying conversations in messaging apps.

Notifications can be grouped into various channels like sports text messages, news, music applications and so on and users will be able to control each channel independently. The notification shade will also segment notifications by channel, making it easier to scan through important notifications.

Android O also gives android app development company the opportunity to vary the background color of notification. This feature could be very helpful when there is a critical alert. Developers can also design notifications to cancel out themselves by timing them. Also, you can silence certain notifications and defer them to come back later.

What’s more, notification dots will now be visible on top of apps that you deem important to check in on.

6. Better keyboard navigation:

With Chromebooks now supporting Android applications, Android O will allow developers to improve keyboard navigation. This will make it perfect for you to move through games and apps when seated at a Chromebook or some other Chrome OS-based computer.

The more developers can modify the functionality for arrow and tab movement, the better comfortable it will be for you to utilize touch-based experiences on a computer.

That will go a long way to help Google achieve the harmonious pairing of operating systems they seem to be striving for.

7. App optimizations and WebView enhancements:

When Google released Android 7.0 Nougat, it ushered in an optional multi-process mode for WebView that shifted the management of web content into a secluded process. In Android O, Google is allowing the multi-process mode by default and is presenting a new API that will allow developers to manage their errors and glitches in WebView.

The new OS also brings optimizations for updated runtimes for more stability and execution in applications designed precisely for Android O.

8. Multi-Display Support:

Well, this is an average feature user will have to wait to discover how useful it is to them, but Google is promising a multi-display platform "for launching an activity on a remote display."

This could be something that would be an advantage to Chromebook users, especially now that Chrome OS is getting more favorable lately with Android, and there could be more to it.

9. Better Autofill Support:

This may sound boring to you. However, it is a feature that could be a beneficial feature. Google is trying to implement new Autofill APIs that will allow users to select password and data-storing apps to play as their favored autofill app.

Why is this important?

It is important because many users make use of password management applications to protect and store their data. Now, Google, through Android O will make the implementation seamless. It is expected to function just like selecting a keyboard app.

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