Google’s New “Android O” Promises Battery Improvements & Revamped Notifications

With the release of Android O developer preview, Google shows a glimpse of what to expect from the next version of Android at Google I/O conference in May. Although not all Android O features have been released, the developer preview shows at what Google is focusing with the next major build of its mobile OS.

According to Daily Mail, the new Android O will focus on improving battery life and the device’s interactive performance. Google plans to tackle the battery life by limiting what apps can do in the background. This should make it easier to create apps that have minimal impact on the device and battery. David Burke, VP of engineering for Android, shared the first developer preview of the next version of the OS. He said that not all features are present, and on top of that, there is plenty of stabilization and performance work to be done. Over the course of the next several months, Google will release more updated developer previews, and they will be doing a deep dive on all things Android at Google I/O in May.

As reported by Gadgets, battery life is not the only thing Google tries to improve with their latest Android O. They also give more control to the user about how they treat notifications with their new Notification Channels framework. The new app-defined categories for notification content give the user a more fine-grained control over different kinds of notifications for an app rather than managing all the app’s notifications together.

On top of that, the apps can now have adaptive launcher icons which display a variety of shapes depending on the device. Some of the other new features include platform support for Autofill apps, picture-in-picture mode for handsets and tablets, wide-gamut color for apps, high-resolution audio support and new connectivity features, improved keyboard navigation, and much more.

All of these are just some of the changes that were highlighted by Google. There should be more announcement as the time draws closer to the company’s big event in May.