Android 8.0 beta testing program. Android O has entered beta testing stage. Quick Updates: Project Treble
Looking ahead a bit, finding revolutionary or radical changes in user interface (UI) design will be useless. Since the introduction of the so-called material design in Android 5, Google has found largely its own clear line, which developers in each new version of the operating system only continue to optimize, and not completely rebuild, as in previous years. Thus, users no longer need a period of getting used to, as the design language does not inherently change. But Android Oreo, that is 8.0, still contains important tuning and many small innovations.
Android 8 with extended notifications
Here we are talking about indicating the missed events in each icon of the respective application. To do this, Google highlights a small dot; Apple and Samsung, which have been using this feature for a long time, indicate the exact number of unread notifications. If you hold down the application icon for a while, a suitable context menu will open in the mini-window. There you can not only read an excerpt from the new notification. Users can also take advantage of a couple of context-sensitive interaction options. This is reminiscent of Apple's 3D Touch.
Thus, for example, you can start reading letters right from your desktop, open new tabs, call your favorite subscribers or lay out routes to the navigator's goals. In addition, from here you can easily lay out suitable widgets directly on the desktop. However, for our taste, the preview of notifications is so small that it is hardly useful. In fact, Google introduced context options already in Android 7.1, and Android Oreo just expands their capabilities.
Snooze function: the notification signal can be conveniently set to repeat Snooze function for application information
Google also expanded the notification options in the info center. If you swipe to the side on the corresponding notification, the clock and settings symbols will appear. Pressing the clock symbol puts the "alarm" into standby mode, and after some time (for example, 15 minutes), it will work, again reminding you of the notification. By clicking on the settings wheel, the user can give general instructions for each application: if desired, the notification signal for a specific program can be turned off altogether.
Next, Android O introduced the so-called notification channels. Users can individually set alert options for each channel in order to configure all the same type of applications in them. This should increase the comfort of control and reduce the influence of the “annoying” factor, which is a consequence of the constant receipt of Push notifications.
Android 8.0 brings picture-in-picture mode to smartphones Picture-in-picture now instead of multiple windows
Multi-window mode in the native Android operating system from Google has been available since the 7th version. Android 8 extends this feature with picture-in-picture mode, which many are more familiar with on televisions (including Android-TV). In the Beta version, the "picture-in-picture" mode can be activated, for example, for YouTube: launch YouTube in the Chrome browser, in the "three-dot" menu you should require the "Desktop version", select full-screen mode and at the end click on the " Home ". Basically, developers should first make their applications ready to use this feature.
After that, a small window appears, which is placed on top of the rest of the content. If you tap on it once, the system will slightly enlarge the image and display the control panel. Of course, little can be seen in the tiny window. Nevertheless, with video communication in Skype and similar programs, the function can be practical if the user needs to watch something simultaneously with the dialogue, for example, on the Internet.
Quick Updates: Project Treble
One of the most important changes is within the system. Google wants to bring updates to market faster and thus make devices more reliable, regardless of manufacturers. Within the so-called Project Treble, the fundamentals of the process change. Google decouples Android Framework from low-level software (such as drivers) and thus gains in speed of updates and system-specific changes.
Although this does not completely solve the problem of updates from Google, it minimizes it. Often, device drivers also have security-critical bugs, which in this case must first be fixed by the component manufacturer, and only then the changes will be passed on to the smartphone manufacturers. However, Project Treble is a big step in the right direction.
Thanks to Project Treble, Google will soon be able to independently update the Android operating system Longer Battery Life: Project Vitals
Under the name Project Vitals, Google has combined measures to improve the reliability and energy management of Android. Google is declaring war on apps that consume energy in the background and is limiting background activity from apps that track location and scan WLANs.
For important synchronization tasks, there is a new interface that applications can access. In addition, Android now introduces a malware scanner, and the status of security patches is more easily accessible through Settings\u003e Security & Location.
We find it pretty cool to be able to allow security-critical installation of applications from unknown sources only for specific utilities on the system. Thus, now users can download programs from "third-party" stores, while not experiencing fear of attacks like Drive-By-Downloads and use installers directly from the browser.
Android O should start faster, run longer, and be safer Many other improvements
The list of innovations does not end there. In addition to new emoji, Google has integrated the so-called "System Tuner" here, however, its capabilities from one Beta version to another are still changing a lot. The WLAN chip can be activated if desired when a familiar WLAN network is nearby. For audiophiles, there is support for the AptX and AptX-HD Bluetooth audio codecs, which allow for CD quality.
Android Oreo also introduces new programming interfaces (APIs), for example, an API for autocomplete text, which greatly simplifies the work with passwords, as well as an interface for SMS verification.
Last but not least, we find the recognition of the type of highlighted content practical: if you select a phone number or an address, you can go to the context menu, which will offer to perform the appropriate action.
Android O is better at highlighting passages of text and suggesting suitable apps Info center and settings
On our Android O test device, a smartphone, two significant UI differences compared to Android N caught my eye: Google redesigned the drag-and-drop info center from the top, and the settings menu.
The latter is now sorted not by category names, although some categorization in the ordering of items is still observed. First there are settings for network connections, then for applications, hardware features, security, accounts and options for system maintenance. In the action center, the color scheme and the arrangement of some buttons have changed - nothing remarkable.
Google has deleted some categories from the list in the settings menu. There is now more information in the "Security" section Release and download
Android Oreo will first appear on current Pixel and Nexus smartphones and from Google Major smartphone manufacturers should "distribute" Android 8 in late 2017 - early 2018 on their top models, which still have an 18- or 24-month support period ...
Plenty of mid-range smartphones and former flagship models are flying by as usual, as Google still has a lot of work to do to make Android devices as flexible as Windows PCs in terms of updates.
Note: We have tested Android Oreo in Preview Version 3. It is largely the same as the final version.
Yesterday, May 17, at Google I / O 2017, Google unveiled the beta of the next major Android update -. Dave Burke, VP of Android Development at Google, spoke about the new features in the latest test build of the operating system and other details regarding the release.
Public beta
Simultaneously with the end of the Google I / O 2017 conference, the company released the second test build of Android O - Developer Preview 2 with updated APIs for all new functions. The May update is the first candidate for a public beta available for testing on a main smartphone or tablet. Therefore, now all users wishing to try out Android O can participate in the Android Beta program and agree to receive OTA updates until the final release.
You can register as an Android Beta participant on the official Android website in the beta testing section. A fresh build of Android O Developer Preview 2 is still available for installation on the latest Google devices: Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, and Pixel, Pixel XL, and Pixel C.
Final release
Starting with Android O Developer Preview 2, developers will start checking their applications for compatibility with the new OS version. The large number of active testers will also push Google to release the next major Android update as soon as possible. In terms of release dates, Android O is slated for release in the summer of 2017. The exact date has not yet been announced. Like last year with Nougat, Android O is likely to ship around August.
The official name of Android O is still unknown. As a reminder, some of the most possible options are Android 8.0 Oreo and Android 8.0 Orange.
In earlier versions of Android, if you wanted to beta test an application, you usually had to install it from an APK file. But now Google has “beta channels” in the Play Store, making it much easier to launch beta apps.
However, the beta and stable version of the application cannot work together, so either the beta or the stable version can be installed at the same time. There are some exceptions here: Chrome, Chrome Beta, Chrome Dev and Chrome Canary can be installed at the same time. For the most part, the beta channels on the Play Store work as Google intended.
For example, let's take a look at the Nova Launcher app. Nova Launcher uses beta channel access to let curious users know what features the company is working on. In turn, of course, these users test the application, helping the company find bugs before the build goes to the stable version.
How to find apps offering beta access
You may or may have already signed up for the beta testing program, but in any case, you are probably wondering what is the easiest way to find out if an application offers beta build access. In short, there is really no easy way to find all the apps that offer beta.
You can find such an application by opening its page in the Play Store and scrolling to the bottom of your Android device. You will see a card that says “Become a beta tester” if you are offered beta access.
Click "Join", then confirm your decision in the pop-up window.
Agree that it is a very long journey to see if the application has a testing program. But there is a great solution thanks to a Chrome extension called Toolbox for the Google Play Store. This extension will not only tell you if there is a test program for a particular application, but also offers links to AppBrain, Android Police, and APK downloads from APKMirror. You can also toggle each of these options on the extension's settings page.
If you find an application that requires testers, simply click the "More info" link on the Google Play application page, which will redirect you to the testing page. Just click the "Participate in Testing" button.
If you already have the application installed, it will automatically update to the new build without any action on your part.
How to manage beta apps
You can leave the beta testing program at any time, this action will return the application back to stable build as soon as you leave the testing program. There are several ways to do this.
First, you can simply go back to the testing page from Google Play in your browser (again, with the Toolbox for Google Play extension installed) and use the “Leave the program” link to opt out. Very simple.
You can also manage all of your beta apps directly from your device. Launch Google Play and open the menu by swiping to the right (or simply by tapping the three bars in the upper left corner). Then select "My Apps & Games".
The last tab in this interface is Betas. Click on it to see all the applications you are testing.
When you click on an application from this list, you will see a banner at the top of the page informing you that you are a beta tester for that application.
To opt out of the testing program, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page (just like for the introduction). There you will find a card that will allow you to exit beta testing. Alternatively, you can click "Learn More" for more information on Google beta testing.
The Google Play Test Program is a really cool way for users to get a glimpse of the latest features in their favorite apps (assuming they offer beta access, of course). If you love trying different new things before they hit the masses, I definitely recommend looking to see if your favorite apps offer a testing program. Just remember, these are beta apps, so they can be unstable.
