If you’ve been test driving the Android N preview, get ready for a new batch of features some badly needed bug fixes.
detailed several new changes on the Android Developers Blog, most notably support for the Vulkan 3D graphics A, launcher shortcuts for apps, several bug fixes, Emoji Unicode 9 support.
y this matters: The most welcome part of the update is the promise of bug fixes. As warned, Android N is quite unstable. This update specifically fixes issues connecting to hidden -Fi networks, multiwindow pauses, direct reply closing an open activity, other problems reported through the public issue tracker.
New features
Support for the Vulkan 3D rendering engine is squarely targeted at developers, but the benefits will eventually roll down to all by boosting performance with graphics-intensive applications. The Vulkan Graphics A is now available for testing with the new Android N build. It will help developers craft games other graphics-heavy applications that use less battery system resources.
The new uncher Shortcuts feature could give a nice little boost to your productivity once it’s in use. Developers will be able to create shortcuts within an app to jump directly into another specific task, reducing the time it takes a user to move from one activity to another. Of course, we’ll have to see the feature in action to know how much functionality it brings to Android N.
at’s an update without fresh Emoji?
Android Developers Blog appears to finally be doing away with the weird blob people.
As part of an effort to make Android’s emoji less, well, weird, it appears that is doing away with the blob people taking a more humanoid tack. ’ll see how these turn out as we get closer to the final version of Android N.
If you’re already enrolled in the Android Beta ogram, you’ll get an over-the-air update soon. Otherwise, you can flash it manually. Keep in mind that you’ll need a Nexus 6 6, 5X, 9, xel C, or General Mobile 4G (Android One) to test it out.
