Google recently released their first developer’s preview. The developer’s preview is available for Google Pixel Google Pixel XL Google Pixel 2 Google Pixel 2 XL. The next version of the Android operating system. Here are six new features that look particularly interesting in the upcoming Android P.
Locating a device’s position when it’s indoors
The new Android P supports WiFi protocol IEEE 802.11mc which is also known as WiFi Round-Trip-Time (RTT). This allows any app to triangulate a device’s position to within one to two meters if the app can connect with three WiFi access points. That means now location tracing will be more accurate.
Maps with routing features to help people find their way through confusing indoor locations can be built with WiFi RTT. Google notes that WiFi RTT can also be used for things like location-based voice control (“Turn on this light”) or information retrieval (“Do any online stores have specials for this product.”)
Enhanced user privacy
Apps will no longer have access to the mics, cameras or sensors that use Sensors when the app is not being used. This simply means that apps will not be able to run in the background. If an app tries to use a camera, an error is generated. If this works as intended, users won’t have to worry about apps that are monitoring or recording audio, video and other types of information in the background.
Support for accommodating display cutouts
Android P will allow developers to make their apps according to the cutouts in the screen. Smartphones that use a display cutout like the iPhone’s notch can wreak havoc with the way information is displayed on the screen. In Android P Content can be displayed below or around the notch at the developer’s discretion.
Improvements to messaging notifications
Android P will have whole new Notification style. The notification of the incoming messages will be seen as ender and receiver’s avatars. And allow the receiver to add images to replies. Notifications will also be able to make use of smart replies.
Improvements to on-device neural network processing
Android P will eliminate the necessity for sending user-generated data to the cloud for processing. Due to this a neural network on the device can learn from and adapt to the user’s individual behavior more easily. Also, privacy is protected because behavior-specific data doesn’t need to be sent to the cloud. The master networks that learn based on data from all users can retrieve changes in the user’s network rather than the data that led to the changes in the user’s network.
Support for HDR
If your Device is HDR enable then this is for you. Android P supports HDR VP9 Profile 2. The user will be able to view HDR content if their device is HDR enabled.
You can check out the Android Developers Blog to find out some of the other things Android P has to offer.
