Looking ahead a little, looking for revolutionary or radical changes in user interface (UI) design will be a futile exercise. Since the introduction of so-called material design in Android 5, Google has largely found its own clear line, which developers in each new version operating system They just continue to optimize, and not build completely anew, as in previous years. This way, users no longer need an adjustment period as the design language remains essentially the same. But Android Oreo, that is, 8.0, still contains important tuning and many small innovations.
Android 8 with enhanced notifications
Here we are talking about indicating missing events in each icon of the corresponding application. To do this, Google highlights a small dot; Apple and Samsung, which have been using this feature for a long time, indicate the exact number of unread notifications. If you hold down the application icon for a while, the appropriate one will open in the mini-window. context menu. There you can not only read an excerpt from the new notice. Users can also take advantage of a pair of context-specific interaction capabilities. It's reminiscent of Apple's 3D Touch.
Thus, for example, you can start reading emails, opening new tabs, calling favorite subscribers, or getting directions to navigator destinations right from your desktop. In addition, from here you can easily place suitable widgets directly on your desktop. However, for our taste, the notification preview is so small that it is hardly useful. In fact, Google introduced contextual options in Android 7.1, and Android Oreo just expands their capabilities.
Snooze function: notification signal can be conveniently set to repeat Snooze function for app information
Google has also expanded the notification options in the info center. If you swipe to the side on the corresponding notification, clock and settings symbols will appear. Clicking on the clock symbol puts the “alarm” into standby mode, and after some time has passed (for example, 15 minutes), it will go off, again reminding you of the notification. By clicking on the settings wheel, the user can give general instructions for each application: if desired, a notification tone for some specific program You can even turn it off completely.
Further, Android O introduced so-called notification channels. Users can individually set alert options for each channel to configure them for all the same type of applications. This should increase the comfort of control and reduce the influence of the “nervous” factor, which is a consequence of constantly receiving Push notifications.
With Android 8.0, picture-in-picture mode comes to smartphones Picture-in-picture now instead of multi-window
Multi-window mode has been available in Google's native Android operating system since version 7. Android 8 expands this feature with picture-in-picture mode, which many are more familiar with on TV (including Android-TV). In the Beta version, the picture-in-picture mode can be activated, for example, for YouTube: launch YouTube in Chrome browser, in the “three-dot” menu you should request “Desktop version”, select full screen mode and finally press the “Home” button. Basically, developers should first make their applications ready to use this feature.
After this, a small window appears, which is placed on top of the rest of the content. If you tap on it once, the system will slightly enlarge the image and highlight the control panel. Of course, little can be seen through the tiny window. However, during video calls in Skype and similar programs, the function may be practical if the user needs to watch something at the same time as the dialogue, for example, on the Internet.
Quick Updates: Project Treble
One of the most important changes is within the system. Google wants to bring updates to market faster and thus make devices more reliable, regardless of manufacturer. The so-called Project Treble changes the fundamentals of the process. Google separates Android-Framework from software low level(for example, drivers) and thus benefits in the speed of updates and making system-specific changes.
Although this does not completely solve the problem of updates from Google, it minimizes it. Often, device drivers also have security-critical bugs, which in this case must first be fixed by the component manufacturer, and only then the changes will be transferred to smartphone manufacturers. However, Project Treble is a big step in the right direction.
Thanks to Project Treble, Google will soon be able to independently update its operating system. Android system Increased duration of time battery life: Project Vitals
Under the name Project Vitals, Google has combined measures to improve the reliability and energy management of Android. Google declares war on energy-guzzling apps background, and limits the background activity of programs that track location and scan WLAN networks.
For important synchronization tasks, there is a new interface that applications can access. Additionally, Android now introduces a malware scanner, and the status of security patches is more easily accessible through Settings-Security & Location.
We find the ability to allow security-critical installation of applications from unknown sources only for certain utilities on the system to be quite cool. Thus, now users can download programs from “third-party” stores without fear of Drive-By-Downloads attacks and use installers directly from the browser.
Android O should start up faster, last longer and be more secure Many other improvements
The list of innovations does not end there. In addition to new emoji, Google has integrated the so-called “System Tuner” here, although its capabilities still vary greatly from one Beta version to another. The WLAN chip can optionally activate when a familiar WLAN network is nearby. For audiophiles, there is support for Bluetooth audio codecs AptX and AptX-HD, which allow you to achieve CD quality.
Android Oreo also introduces new software interfaces(API), for example, an API for auto-filling text, which greatly simplifies working primarily with passwords, as well as an interface for SMS verification.
Last but not least, we find it practical to recognize the type of selected content: if you highlight a phone number or address, you can go to the context menu, which will prompt you to perform the appropriate action.
Android O does a better job of highlighting text and suggesting relevant apps Info Center and Settings
On our Android O testing device, a smartphone, two significant differences in the user interface compared to Android N caught our eye: Google has redesigned the info center, which can be pulled onto the screen from the top of the screen, as well as the settings menu.
The latter is no longer sorted by category names, although some categorization in the ordering of items is still observed. First there are settings for network connections, then for applications, hardware features, security, accounts and options for system maintenance. The notification center has changed color scheme and the location of some buttons is nothing remarkable.
Google has removed some categories from the list in the settings menu. There is now more information in the "Security" section Release and download
Android Oreo will first appear on current Pixel and Nexus smartphones and from Google. Major smartphone manufacturers should “distribute” Android 8 at the end of 2017 - beginning of 2018 among their top models, which are still covered by an 18- or 24-month support period .
Many mid-range smartphones and former flagship models are flying by as usual, as Google still has a lot of work to do to make Android devices as flexible in terms of updates as Windows PCs.
Note: We tested Android Oreo in Preview Version 3. Its contents are largely the same as the final version.
In the early Android versions If you wanted to take advantage of the beta testing of an app, you would typically have to install it from an APK file. But Google now has "beta channels" in the Play Store, making it much easier to launch beta apps.
However, beta and stable version The apps cannot work together, so either the beta or stable version can be installed at the same time. There are some exceptions here: Chrome, Chrome Beta, Chrome Dev and Chrome Canary can be installed at the same time. For the most part, beta channels on the Play Store work as Google intended.
For example, let's look at the Nova Launcher app. Nova Launcher uses access to a beta channel to let curious users find out what features the company is working on. In turn, of course, these users test the application, helping the company find bugs before the build moves to a stable version.
How to find apps that offer beta access
You may or may already have signed up for a beta app testing program, but either way, you're probably wondering what the easiest way is to find out if an app offers access to a beta build. In short, not really. simple way find all apps offering beta version.
You can find such an app by opening its Play Store page and scrolling to the bottom on your Android device. You'll see a card that says "Become a Beta Tester" if beta access is offered.
Click "Join" then confirm your decision in the pop-up window.
Agree that it is a very long way to see if an application has a testing program. But there is a great solution, thanks Chrome extension called Toolbox for Google Play Store. This extension will not only tell you if there is a test program for a particular application, but also offers links to AppBrain, Android Police and APK downloads from APKMirror. You can also toggle each of these options on the extension's settings page.
If you find an application that needs testers, simply click the "More info" link on the application page Google Play, which will redirect you to the testing page. Just click the “Participate in testing” button.
If you already have the application installed, it will automatically update to the new build without any action on your part.
How to manage beta applications
You can leave the beta testing program at any time, this action will revert the application back to the stable build as soon as you leave the testing program. There are several ways to do this.
First, you can simply return to the testing page from Google Play in your browser (again, with the Google Play Toolbox extension installed) and use the “Leave Program” link to opt out. Very simple.
You can also manage all your beta apps directly from your device. Launch Google Play and open the menu by swiping right (or simply tapping the three bars in the top left corner). Then select My Apps & Games.
The last tab in this interface is “Betas”. Click on it to see all the applications you are testing.
When you click on an app from this list, you will see a banner at the top of the page that tells you that you are a beta tester for that app.
To opt out of the testing program, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page (just like to join). There you will find a card that will allow you to exit beta testing. In addition, you can click "More details" to get Additional information about Google beta testing.
The Google Play testing program is a really cool way for users to take a look at latest features in your favorite apps (assuming they offer beta access, of course). If you like to try different new things before they hit the masses, I definitely recommend seeing if your favorite apps offer a testing program. Just remember: these are beta apps, so they may be unstable.
Yesterday, May 17, at the Google I/O 2017 conference, Google presented a beta version of the next major Android update - . Dave Burke, vice president of Android development at Google, spoke about new features in the latest test build of the operating system and other details regarding the release.
Public beta
Simultaneously with the end of the Google I/O 2017 conference, the company released the second test build of Android O - Developer Preview 2 with updated APIs for all new functions. The May update is the first candidate for a public beta available for testing on a mainstream smartphone or tablet. So now all users who want to try Android O can take part in Android program Beta and agree to receive OTA updates until the final release.
You can register as a participant in Android Beta on the official Android website in the beta testing section. The latest build of Android O Developer Preview 2 is still available for installation on latest devices Google: Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, and Pixel, Pixel XL and Pixel C.
Final release
Starting with Android O Developer Preview 2, developers will begin testing their apps for compatibility with new version OS. A large number of active testers will also push Google to release the next big thing as soon as possible. Android update. As for the release timing, the release of Android O is planned for the summer of 2017. The exact date has not yet been announced. Most likely, like last year with Nougat, Android O will be released around August.
The official name of Android O still remains unknown. Let us remember that one of the most possible options are Android 8.0 Oreo and Android 8.0 Orange.
