Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Google has somehow managed to get out an early Developer Preview of the next version of Android, well before its usual Google I/O event in May and it's now been updated to Developer Preview 2, bringing along a few new changes.
The even better news is that anyone with a newer pure Google device can start beta testing the Developer Preview version right this moment as part of the newly announced Android Beta Program.
This opens up testing new versions of Android N, and future versions of Android, to everyone and makes installing early versions far simpler than in the past. Before, you had to manually flash Android yourself, which required comparatively more complicated steps.
Now, with the Android Beta Program, upgrading to an early version is no different than upgrading your device to a full release version of Android.
How to try Android N now
Which devices are eligible?
Currently, the Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Google Pixel C and Nexus Player are all eligible to enrol in the Android Beta Program. There’s also the General Mobile 4G (Android One), too, although this device isn’t widely available and is geared towards developing nations.
How do I join the Android Beta Program?
All you need to do, aside from having one of the above devices, is head over to theAndroid Beta Program website. You’ll need to sign into your Google account and you’ll see any eligible devices you have associated with your account listed. Simply choose to enrol your device and you’ll soon be offered an Over-the-Air (OTA) Android update. This happened within minutes for me.
Note: Before opting in, make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. As this is a Beta release, expect plenty of bugs and problems, so you might not want to run this on your main day-to-day device. Going back to a stable release is possible but is not without its consequences, as outlined below. Also, if you rely on apps such as banking apps, upgrading to a Developer Preview is probably not for you as they'll likely stop working.
From the same page, you can choose to unenroll your device. After this, you’ll be offered a stable version of Android relevant for your device as an OTA update. Note, this will wipe all user data, leaving you with a fresh install of Android. Make sure you backup all of your data before doing so.
What’s new in Android N - hands-on with the Developer Preview
Update: New in Developer Preview 2
New look folders
The first thing you'll notice when you update to the latest Developer Preview is that the folder design has had a complete revamp. Personally, I really like the change. It gives you a better indication of what apps are found within the folder compared to the staggered pile of the old folder design.
New emoji
The human emoji designs have been improved now as well. I was never a fan of Android's standard emoji designs, much preferring those in iOS and found within WhatsApp (easily where I use emoji most often). The new changes are much improved at least.
New Camera app
Technically, the new Google Camera app update is available to everyone as it's rolling out as an update through the Google Play Store, but it's also been bundled in with Developer Preview 2. There has been a few visual design changes to the shutter button and the slow-motion video option is now moved to the slide-in menu.
A particularly useful introduction is the ability to capture still images while recording video. You just need to tap the second shutter button that appears when recording video (you can see it on top of the Stop button in the screenshot above). This saves a separate still image in your video recording resolution to your Gallery.
Vulkan API
One of the biggest performance increases from Android N will come from support for the Vulkan API, which is now supported by Developer Preview 2. Support for the Vulkan API on Android has already started appearing on other Android devices, such as Nvidia'sShield Tablet and Shield Tablet K1, and Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Essentially, Vulkan API can be thought of as a way for developers to get more efficient access to a device's graphics hardware in the same way that Apple's Metal allows for low-overhead access in iOS and OS X or how DX12 works in Windows.
In the past, OpenGL API was prevalent but it was never well positioned to take advantage of the multicore processors and multithreading of today's devices. The new Vulkan API should lead to much better gaming performance on devices running Android N down the line but developers will need to program their games with the Vulkan API in mind.
Launcher shortcuts
Shortcut options can now be provided from apps on the launcher, giving you access to useful features such as quickly composing a message when selecting the Messenger app or pulling up navigation to your home from Google Maps.
Phandroid notes that the underlying framework could also be in place for Android N to support pressure sensitive screens, much the same way 3D Touch works on iPhones. The developers of Nova Launcher have already been playing with the new API and created a demonstration video of how it works:
Features introduced in Developer Preview 1:
Multi-window Support
So far, this seems to be Android N’s flagship new feature. In truth, it’s not completely new. The likes of Samsung and Acer have long been including their own takes on multitasking with their adaptations of Android, but it’s good to finally see it available as part of stock Android.
The good news is that Google’s implementation is very elegant and works as you would expect.
Now, when you want to open up two apps side-by-side, you can hold the Overview (square button) to activate Multi-window mode with the primary app you want to have open. The screen will split in half, either vertically or horizontally depending on your device’s orientation, and the other half will display the rotating carousel of recent apps you’re already familiar with. You can then select the secondary app you want to use, which will fill the remaining half of the screen.
Alternatively, from the home screen, you can tap the Overview button to bring up the recent apps carousel as usual, then, tap and drag one of the cards over to the edge of the screen to put it into Multi-window mode. You can then populate the other half of the screen with another app as above. The Overview square icon will then morph into a split square so you know Multi-window is active.
Notifications and Quick Toggles
Google’s constant tweaking of the notification pane continues unabated. Now the quick toggles slide down with a delightful new animation and a few are pinned to the top of the screen, so you don’t need a double slide down motion to get to them. You can also edit the quick toggles that appear in the secondary menu, which is something I’ve wanted for a while.
In terms of notifications, Google has made it so developers can bundle notifications together, such as for messaging apps. This should help tidy things up considerably. You can now expand bundled notifications with a two-finger swipe or tapping the expand icon. Notifications are also richer in content, providing more detail than before, as well as just having a visual overhaul.
The most useful introduction, however, is direct replies from notifications. Before you could use direct replies for certain notifications from specific apps, such as Hangouts, but now this is seemingly available system-wide.
So far I’ve gotten much enjoyment out of directly replying to WhatsApp messages straight from notifications. A reply option appears below the notification and tapping it turns it into a text field. It’s seamless and well implemented and saves you a whole host of time for quick replies.
Improved Doze
Marshmallow introduced battery efficiencies through the new Doze feature, reducing battery usage when the device was stationary. This meant if you forgot to plug your phone in overnight, you wouldn’t wake up to a depleted battery. In fact, often you would only lose a percentage or two. Now, Doze has been improved further meaning you get reduced battery usage whenever the screen is turned off as well as just stationary. Project Svelte is another way Google is looking to reduce memory usage of apps, which should also help.
So far, with very little time with the new version of Android, it’s hard to tell how much of a difference the new super-charged Doze makes but it, in theory, sounds like a great new introduction. Anything that can help with battery drain is welcome.
Most Recently Used app shortcut
This one's easily missed, but if you double tap the Overview button, you'll be taken back to the last app you used. Another double-tap will take you back to the app you just left. It's like another alternative to Multi-window and perfect for if you need to copy and paste, or reference, between two apps.
Night Mode
Another mode that's easy to miss is the freshly returned Night Mode. This was last seen in the Marshmallow preview but strangely got removed when the stable version was released. We've all read about how the multitude of displays we're putting in front of our faces affect our sleep patterns (or circadian rhythm if you want to get fancy) and this is especially the case when you use a smartphone at night. There's a slightly secret Night Mode built into the Android N Developer Preview. To access it, you'll need to swipe down the notification shade and then long press the Settings shortcut. You'll get a prompt to say you've unlocked the System UI Tuner. This was a hidden menu, much like Developer options in Marshmallow, but previously the settings here were a little sparse.
Now, you can turn on Night Mode that changes the interface to a dark version so you don't have the bright, white Android menus blinding you. You can even set it to turn on automatically based on your location and time, so it turns on at sunset. You can also have Night Mode adjust the screen tint and brightness to more comfortable levels. The tint is particularly useful if you're susceptible to blue light keeping you awake as it adds a much warmer tint to the screen.
General speed improvements and visual tweaks
Whether or not it’s just swifter animation scales or simply a placebo, but Android N feels fast. Running on a Nexus 6, therefore, the oldest device currently eligible for the Beta, performance feels noticeably faster. The recent apps list, which now has full-screen cards representing each background app, scrolls incredibly fast. You can scroll from the bottom of a very heavily populated deck of cards to the top without any stuttering or slowdown.
Even the app drawer, which remains a vertical list, scrolls superbly. Sliding to dismiss notifications from your lock screen also has a delightful new animation as it collapses in on itself and fades out. The Settings menu now has a lot more 'at a glance' information about each setting, meaning you don't have to dive into them to find out how much data has been used or if you have the adaptive brightness turned on or not.
Does Android N have an official name yet?
Afraid not. The guessing game continues. Android Nerds, Android Nougat, Android Nutella could all be potential candidates. Let us know in the comments below what delicious treat you'd like the next version of Android to be named after.
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