Android Marshmallow; the latest in the Android Family
Google just recently released the 3rd and apparently final developer preview version of the Android M OS for smartphones. The update, also known as Android 6.0, is bound to get loads of attention from Android fans from all over the world. For those who do not want to wait till the actual release of the OS, here is a quick rundown of what the developer preview has revealed so far.
Android Marshmallow is not bound to be a very far leap from Android Lollipop. But the update does offer some very subtle yet important updates that are in no doubt a major improvement for the OS. First thing, users will now be getting more access to Android UI as Google has claimed that the Final Permissions User Interface has been updated thus giving us more access to manage the permission behavior of many of the apps in the OS. What this means is that you can now easily allow each individual app limited options to access things like your camera and GPS with your permission! This is a very cool feature, it you ask me, as it allows you to have total control of what is going on in your device, something that Apple has always lacked and Android has been doing right for so long!
The Fingerprint API is also getting an update with the Android Marshmallow, which allows for “better error reporting, better fingerprint enrollment experience, plus enumeration support for greater reliability”, as said by Google. We have seen great improvement in the finger print technology already but with this API update, more and more companies will be encouraged to build fingerprint scanners in their phones and tablets as Android Marshmallow now offers built-in support. Also more apps will roll out with fingerprint support! Again an exciting news for all tech lovers!
Another important addition is the battery saving feature the software offers. With the new battery management, users will get more out of their devices than ever before. The OS now offers something called “Doze”, which users various sensors in your device to determine if its idle and then uses to information to shut down apps you don’t need, drastically improving your battery performance!
There are also many little changes that are coming out with this update. These include the volume control option which has been wrong for so long in Android that it’s about time that they got it right! Now for users who don’t strictly use Stock Android, this may not be an issue because other developers have so efficiently developed their skins to make the volume control perfect, which means you get to manage which volume you want to control exactly with just one button. But for Stock Android users, this has been a pain. So yay!
This are just things we know so far about the latest in the Android family! Let’s see what Google has in store for us for the final release!
