Last month Google released the Android N Developer Preview while everyone was busy guessing the name of Android’s next iteration. And now, Google has released the second version of Android N Developer Preview.
There were issues in the first developer preview like not being able to connect to hidden Wi-Fi networks, multi-window pauses and direct reply closing an open activity. While these bugs have been ironed out in the second preview, there are some new features that come along with the second developer preview.
Here’s what’s new in the Android N Developer Preview 2:
- Vulkan: An API for 3D rendering
- Launcher shortcuts: Apps define shortcuts which help the users to perform actions quicker. These shortcuts contain an Intent into specific points within your app.
- Emoji Unicode 9 support: This update makes the emojis look more like a human. The update also introduces support for skin tone variations and Unicode 9 glyphs.
- API changes: This update includes API changes to refine features such as multi-window support (you can now specify a separate minimum height and minimum width for an activity), notifications, and others. Take a look at the downloadable API reference package for more details.
The Android N Developer Preview is currently available for Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, and Pixel C devices, as well as General Mobile 4G [Android One] devices. For Nexus Player, the update to Developer Preview 2 will follow the other devices by several days. Also, you need to enroll in the Android Beta Program to get this and future updates.
Head on to the Android Developers Blog for more details.
