Cool new
features of Android Marshmallow -
You're going to want Android Marshmallow. Google's latest
version of Android may sound like a single headline feature followed by a list
of tiny improvements, but they all add up to one important update — there's a
reason Google is calling this release Android 6.0.
Marshmallow is going to make Android able to do a lot more
for you, all while making key refinements across the OS that address
longstanding issues. All in all, we're looking at a smarter, sleeker, and more
useable Android. So yeah, you're going to want to update.
Of course, as always, when you can update is going to depend
on who made your phone. Nexus devices will be updated almost immediately, but
phones from Samsung, Motorola, Sony, LG, and others are going to be on their
own timelines, some fast, some slow, some nonexistent. Those phones may also
get support for some features and not others, depending on how the device is
customized.
OK now let's cut the wait and let's talk about some new cool
features which the Google has added to its new Android Update -
Google Now on Tap
Google Now on Tap is easily Marshmallow's standout feature.
It takes Google Now — the predictive assistant that's been beside your
home screen for a couple years — and lets it crawl through your apps so
that you can get extra info on basically anything almost instantly.
Here's how it works: your press and hold the home button
while inside of any app, and Google Now will read the screen, look for anything
interesting — like the name of a celebrity, an event, or a location
— and then return information on what it sees in a little popup box on the
bottom of the screen.
If someone texts you the name of a restaurant, for instance,
Now on Tap might see its name and present you with its location on a map. Or if
you're on a news story about a celebrity, Now on Tap might pull up their
information from Wikipedia or give you the chance to jump to their page in the
IMDb app.
It's an incredibly cool feature, and our initial tests
showed it working quite well (albeit under a controlled environment). This is
going to be a big deal in Marshmallow and — more than likely — future
versions of Android as well.
Case-by-case app permissions
This sounds insanely boring, but it's a really important
update. To date, Android apps have asked you during their install process for
permission to access everything and anything that they might need: things like
your camera, location, message history, and so on. Often enough, you'll see all
sorts of things that it seems like an app shouldn't need access to, but you
don't have the option of saying no to just one item or asking what anything is
used for.
Under Marshmallow, this is going to change. Developers will
now be able to ask for permissions on a case-by-case basis. That means when you
go to open up the camera in Instagram, for instance, Instagram could deliver a
pop-up asking if you want to let it access your camera. That way you know
exactly when an app is using a feature and why it's using it. It also means you
can download and install an app, use most of it, but prevent it from doing one
or two things that you disapprove of.
Apps will have to update to the new way of doing things
before all of this starts to happen. For now, Marshmallow will still let you go
into settings to deal with the apps you already have set up. Apple has dealt
with permissions on iOS in this manner for a while now, so some people may
already be familiar with this approach. Basically, it's a good idea, and it's
about time it hit Android.
Fingerprint support
Fingerprint sensors have already popped up here and there on
Android phones, but soon, they're probably going to be everywhere. That's
because Google is building dedicated support for fingerprint sensors into
Android, so that phone makers don't have to code it all in on their own. That
means your next Android phone will likely let you use a fingerprint sensor to
unlock your phone, make payments, and log into various apps and services.
Basically, it's going to be a huge convenience for both the people making
Android phones and the people using them.
USB Type-C
Everyone hates buying new cables, but this time it's worth
it. USB Type-C (also called USB-C) is a tiny new reversible USB format that's
kind of sweeping the tech industry. Before you know it, it's going to be used
to charge most phones, tablets, and laptops, and for transferring data and
video between devices. Marshmallow adds support for USB Type-C for Android
phones and tablets, so there's a very good chance that your next phone will use
it. Get ready — you'll never stab a Micro USB cable in the wrong direction
again.
Chrome works inside other apps
It's always frustrating getting kicked out of an app and
over to the web where you have to wait for a site to slowly load, so Google is
doing something about it. With a feature called Chrome Custom Tabs, Marshmallow
will allow apps to preload certain web content before sending you over to an
in-app Chrome tab. That idea is that you're still visiting a live-updating
website, but the experience should be much smoother.
Doze
It seems like every new version of every operating system
makes a claim about improving battery life, but Google's latest improvement may
actually be a meaningful one. Doze, a new feature in Marshmallow, monitors how
your device is being used and adjusts app activity accordingly. Basically, if
you aren't using a tablet all day while it lies on your table, Marshmallow will
simply pause your apps so they don't drain through your battery. That means
apps won't be primed with new content the second you open them, but Google says
a device's standby time could double. Not a bad tradeoff.
Better cut, copy, and paste
Another small but meaningful change in Marshmallow is the
way that it handles copy and pasting text. Rather than making you jump up to
the top of the screen to find and decipher the cut, copy, and paste buttons,
Marshmallow will float the options directly above the text you've selected.
It's pretty much identical to how iOS does it, and it's a solid change. Even if
it's only a small change, it's for something that you use a lot.
Thank You .
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