The Android N Developer Preview is now available and ready for flashing. The preview indicates that the upcoming operating system made by the biggest search engine company, Google, has support for split-screen multitasking and redesigned notifications.
According to Droid Life, the upcoming Android N will be carrying support for Multi-Window. This is the ability for apps to be displayed in a split-screen environment. On the developer side, incorporating this enhancement is incredibly easy but on the user side, the benefits can be felt greatly. Much like users have seen on Samsung devices, owners of the device can have multiple applications open simultaneously (side-by-side or one-above-the-other), allowing for better productivity.
The feature will be functional on both Android tablets and smartphones. For Android TV users, Google has stated that the activities can also go into picture-in-picture mode on devices like TVs, and the new feature is a great feature for apps that play video; but they have to be sure to set 'android:supportsPictureInPicture' to make use of this advantage.
Additionally, The Verge noted that with the Android N, the Doze Mode, which is Android's battery-saving feature, will be expanded. It will now engage more often, so instead of turning down power-sucking applications and features of the handset only when it is stationary, it will soon do it anytime the screen is off.
Aside from these features, Ars Technica stated that with Android N, the notification panel will be totally redesigned. The power controls now live at the top of the notification panel, and at the end is an expandable drop-down button. The card motif on the notification panel is gone and replaced by a more-minimal white sheet with thin line separators. Users can now reply directly from a notification without the need to open the app. This feature uses the same RemoteInput API that Android Wear uses, so many apps are already compatible with it.
Notifications can also be bundled now from a single app, which is similar to how Android Wear works. Developers can choose to put an app's notification stack into a single line and by tapping on the new expand button or using a two-finger gesture will then expand the bundled notifications.
There also talks stating that Google has a plan on switching Android N's Java implementation from an Apache Harmony-base to the Oracle-licensed OpenJDK. With this change also comes the opportunity to update to Java 8, giving app developers the use of lambdas and other Java 8 features.
As for the Android N's official name, there are still no available details yet. However, as the launch date nears, Google will surely reveal something about its upcoming operating system soon.
