Android 6.0 Marshmallow: everything you need to know

Google has now confirmed that Android M is Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The third and final version of the Android M developer preview has also just been released, alongside the Android 6.0 SDK. Read on for everything you need to know about Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the Android M developer preview 

    Android 6.0 has been named and its name is Marshmallow

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

The Google Developers blog post didn't mention many specifics for the Android 6.0 Marshmallow release, so details are still relatively sparse. It did say that the final Android 6.0 Marshmallow release date would be "later this fall", but we kind of already knew that

It did give us more information on Android 6.0 Marshmallow features, though, in the shape of a changelog for API level 23. There aren't many changes in the Android M developer preview 3. As the blog post states: "Compared to the previous developer preview update, you will find this final API update fairly incremental."

The two most significant changes are user-facing app permission controls – what most are calling granular app permissions – and the change to API level 23, which introduces stock fingerprint scanner support for Android 6.0 security.

Here's the short version from Google:
 

Android platform change:
 

Final Permissions User Interface – we updated the permissions user interface and enhanced some of the permissions' behavior.
 

API change:
 

Updates to the Fingerprint API – which enables better error reporting, better fingerprint enrollment experience, plus enumeration support for greater reliability.

 

 

Android M Developer Preview 3

The third and final update to the Android M Developer Preview is now available for selected Nexus devices – namely the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player – via Google's Developer Preview site. We'll get flashing and bring you all the latest on the latest Android M preview 3 as soon as possible.

As you probably know, the Android M Developer Preview 3 release date had been pushed back by Google just like the second update. It was initially due to roll out in late July, but on 30 July, Android Developer Advocate Wojtek Kaliciński took to Google+ to announce the delay, writing:

"We want this to be a near final release to test your apps on, but we need a little more time to get it out to you.” Kaliciński went on to call for people to “be patient and refrain from posting speculations about the release date in the community."

Android M Developer Preview 2 update: what's new?

Visual Voicemail

Information gleaned from the Android Developer Preview issue tracker page has indicated that Android M will include Visual Voicemail service accessible from the dialer. According to a report byAndroid Police, it appears that T-Mobile and Orange France will be the only two carriers to support the functionality, but more are sure to follow (after all, Android M is still in its early stages).

What is visual voicemail? It's basically how it sounds: visual voicemail presents your voicemail with a visual interface, rather than the audio-based setup like in current Android smartphones — whereby you call your carrier and listen for instructions. Though it may seem like a small addition, the functionality requires cooperation from carriers, which may suggest why few are currently on board.

Rotating home screen

Another surprisingly slow feature to make it to Android, the screen rotation function for the home screen has finally made an appearance. Now you can use your phone in landscape format both in apps and on the home screen.

Dark theme is gone

The dark theme in the first version of Android M kind of stole the show when everyone flashed it at I/O. Sure, the other changes were great but stock support for themes has been a long time overdue. For some unknown reason though, Google has decided to remove the dark theme from the second version of the Android M preview.

We're not sure why this has happened or if it's a permanent removal, but we're hoping to see the dark theme make a triumphant return – in more than just the Settings menu – when Android M is finalized in a couple of months.

App drawer has been fixed

While we commend Google on trying a new, vertical-scrolling app drawer, the alphabetical dividers on the left and negative space at the end of some sections was a bad idea. The new Android M removes these and is faster to navigate because you have more app icons on screen. It still scrolls vertically though.

Delete screenshots

The second version of the Android M developer preview has added a new delete option to the screenshot preview in the notifications shade. Previously you just had the option to share a screenshot from the notifications. Now you can delete it as well.

Remove status bar icons

This is possibly my favorite new feature: toggles for which icons you see in the status bar. If, for example, you always have Bluetooth on and don't really need a persistent icon taking up space in your status bar, now you can simply remove it. The same goes for the Cast icon, hotspot, Do Not Disturb, alarm set, work profile, Wi-Fi, cellular data and more.

They're available in the new System UI Tuner, which needs to be enabled in Developer Options (to enable this, go to Settings > About Phone and tap Build Number seven times. You'll now see Developer Options at the bottom of the Settings menu.)

RAM Manager

The memory section is now located front and center in the Settings menu. I'm not sure how often the average user is going to want to check in on memory usage, but having it plainly visible will hopefully cause more people to become familiar with what RAM management is and what you can use it for.

Network Settings Reset option

Hidden away in the Backup and Reset settings is another new feature called Network Settings Reset. This lets you instantly wipe all of your network settings, including Wi-Fi connections, cellular data and Bluetooth connections. 

Storage gets a makeover

Internal storage is always a hassle for smartphone users. Even with microSD expansion and USB On The Go (OTG) you always seem to need to keep an eye on available storage space. The new version of Android M introduces a simple line bar that shows how much space you have on your device with a breakdown of what is using up your internal storage.

I for one cannot wait for Android M to be released even with the fact that i won't be among the first or second set of people to use it lol.

Hope you liked the post,you can lets us know what you think about the update in the comment box below....Thank You

credit goes to AndroidPit

 

 

 

 

 

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