A little knowledge can be dangerous, which is probably why Google finally talked about Android M at this year's I/O developer conference, which began Thursday.
"After the comprehensive redesign and under the hood changes in Lollipop, Android M brings a greater focus on bringing greater polish to Android and improving the user experience," AnandTech noted. "During the keynote Google outlined six major areas that they had targeted for improvement in Android M."
Those six areas are permissions, web view behavior within other apps (Chrome Custom Tabs), web link handling, Android Pay, fingerprint authorization, and power usage
The first area discussed was permissions, where users now have better control of app permissions.
"Apps can trigger requests for permissions at runtime, in the right context, and users can choose whether to grant the permission," the Android Developers Blog explained. This means that the new OS can modify the current permission system by "by breaking down user permissions into specific categories, and having apps ask the user for permission at the time access to a feature is required," according to AnandTech.
"The new permissions system in Android M is only available for applications that target Android M with the new version of the Android SDK. Unfortunately, this means that it won't be automatically available to existing applications when users update to Android M," the site added.
Battery life is another aspect addressed by M, which "promises to stop poorly coded and power-hungry apps from draining the battery unnecessarily, extending standby times and hopefully having a positive impact on real-world usage," The Guardian said. A new feature, Doze, reportedly enables devices to last "twice as long on standby."
Additionally, Android M will come with Android Pay, which will be supported by fingerprint authorization.
"Moreover, fingerprint on M can be used to unlock devices and make purchases on Google Play," Android Developer's Blog said. "With new APIs in M, it's easy for you to add fingerprint authorization to your app and have it work consistently across a range of devices and sensors."
Then there's the "Google on tap" aspect, which is enabled by Google Now.
"Android M will also put Google Now everywhere in Android phones," Wired reported. "With a long-press of the home button inside just about any app, you can receive contextual recommendations or assistance for whatever you're using your phone to do; if you're using Hangouts, for example, and can't decided where to get dinner, a long-press will activate Now to give you restaurant ideas or more information about where you want to go."
What do you think about Android M's features? Let us know!
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