Android N is expected to be fully released during the upcoming Google I/O Developer conference, which should be held from May 18 to May 20.
At the moment, there is a developer preview version of the OS that Google released a few weeks ago. If you have been following the developments closely, this new OS is currently available to users of a few Google-owned devices, among them Nexus smartphones and tablets as well as the TV player.
Given the wide array of great features, this OS comes around with, many non-Nexus users out there wish they could also have a taste of this Android N on their devices. Just like every other new version of the OS, the upcoming version, which has yet to receive an official name, has plenty of features it will be bringing to compatible devices. But do you really need the update on your device?
Here’re a few things you should know about this current version of Android N.
Multitude of features
As mentioned earlier, new software updates usually bring new features, improvements and lots of exciting abilities. Expect the same with Android N, but not so much on the UI. In fact, the Material Design concept that came in with Android Lollipop and improved by Android Marshmallow has now been perfected by this latest release. The look is cleaner than ever and there is no any form of clutter, all of which are a welcome.
There is a much cleaner notifications bar, with the background featuring a white color for better viewing of the notifications. The most important addition to this notification panel is the ability to directly reply to messages from here, be it WhatsApp, Gmail or from any other app. It gets even better with this quick reply feature on Android N as it also works from the lockscreen area as well as the heads-up notifications that usually appear on top of an open page.
Android N is still a Developer Preview version
Android N also brings changes to the Quick Settings toggles, split-screen multitasking as well as a revamped Settings menu. But for now, most of these features are still buggy, which should give you reasons to wait a little bit longer.
The main reason for waiting for a little longer is because this version is meant for developers who want to test their apps on the platform and make sure that they work perfectly before the official release of the OS. With every test version, expect bugs and errors from almost all over.
As mentioned, these features are yet to be stable and as such, you might experience errors when using them. Most third party apps have not been updated to support these features, for instance, quick reply and split-screen mode and as such, you might experience errors when using them. Apps might even crash frequently when using this beta version of Android N and you won’t enjoy using third party apps at all.
In short, don’t bother installing the current Android N Developer preview version on your Nexus device. If you do, be ready to deal with bugs and errors.