Google has announced its next version of the world’s most popular operating system dubbed Android P. Developers can now have a look inside and prepare their apps for all of the new features coming our way later this year. In fact, Google VP of engineering Dave Burke is calling this “an early baseline build for developers only,” so definitely do not go flashing your main phone with this and assume it will be usable day to day.
While it’s not quite time to smash the update button on your phone for Android P, there are plenty of things worth getting excited about already.’
Multi-Camera support
The current trend for smartphones is having multiple cameras on the front or back, but very few of them are able to work simultaneously in third party apps. Google is adding an API for developers to explore a world where multiple cameras being used at the same time is possible.
This could mean anything, from depth-sensing magic using multiple cameras to an Apple-style live Portrait Mode or even commercial phones using a standard camera and a thermal camera at the same time to overlay the two images.
Additionally, Google is adding support for apps to use image stabilization and display-based flash just like the primary camera app on your phone. Bottom line is third-party cameras are going to keep getting better.
Notch support
First was the Essential phone, then the iPhone X, as manufacturers shrink bezels and the front-facing sensors leave a notch on your display, Android P will make it easier to support the cutout in the display with APIs to help create UI around that notch. This means full-screen apps with buttons on the sides will be able to actively avoid those notch areas in the display, which is great for everyone.
To help developers in these early stages, several different notch styles have been added to the the Android P simulator so you can test these things without having a phone on hand with a notch on the front.
Indoor Positioning
Google wants to make turn-by-turn directions while you are inside just as good as Maps has become when you are outside, and Android P is going to start making that happen with a little help from WiFi Round-Trip-Time (RTT). This feature in 802.11mc will make it possible for apps to know how far you are from the WiFi access point you are connected to, and developers will be able to use that information to give you a more accurate location indoors.
Improved Notifications
Google is making it possible for developers to move even more of the conversation from your messenger of choice into a notification. Image attachments and stickers are appearing in the notification now, replacing that dreaded “person has sent an attachment” message you get now. This dramatically improves at-a-glance messaging, but also means sometimes a single message in your notification drop-down can occupy a lot of physical real estate.
This new notification style will also give developers the option to add quick replies, similar to the system currently seen in Google Allo and the reply bot in Google’s Reply app. It’s not clear yet how much control developers will have over these replies, or if the system will simply tie into the Smart Reply system Google is currently using elsewhere, but either way more robust notifications are on the horizon.
More Privacy stuff
There are a lot of security and privacy things happening in the background for Android P. The biggest by far is a new restriction system for sensors, cameras, and microphones when an app is marked as idle. All of these systems will stop reporting to the app as soon as it is idle, and any apps looking information from those sources will get nothing in return. Google is going so far as to recommend removing any language requesting background access, because those features will no longer function.
Google is also enabling encryption for backups with a client-side secret and per-network randomization of MAC addresses, but these features won’t be fully available until later versions of the Android P preview.
Finally, individual apps are going to have better access to the fingerprint system in Android P, including a better UI across apps so users know that fingerprint authentication comes from the same trusted source.
So there you go, Unless you are an app developer, you probably don’t want to install this first version of Android P on your phone. If you do install it on a phone, you probably don’t want it to be a phone you rely on for anything important.
For those who want to start now, here’s a handy guide for getting started.
