Google surprised everyone by making the developer preview of Android N available early. While the developer preview is not meant for everyday use it does give us a chance to see some of the headline features of the new OS and how they work. Although this is definitely not anywhere close to final, it is unlikely that there will be any additional headline features added before release. Let’s look at the three main features:
Split Screen
This really is primary headline feature of Android N. Though it has to be said that split screen multitasking has been available on iOS for some time already. It is a feature that has been sorely missed, especially with so many large screen Android handsets.
Doze
There is also an expansion to Doze, Android’s battery saving feature. The big change here is that previously, Doze only came into play when the phone was stationary. While this did have some positive effect on the battery life, it did not go far enough. This time Doze activates when the screen goes off. This should have a lot more of an effect.
Notifications & Quick Toggles
The final change is with notifications and the quick toggles. With notifications you can now reply directly from the notification itself. You might have already seen this with Google Hangouts. This is now available for all Apps. There is a new way of showing the toggles for quick settings like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. They now appear as a small row of icons at the top of the notification shade.