An open source ,Google’s backing, the app ecosystem are some of the important factors which have made the Android OS by Google to reach its current dominant position in the mobile OS market. Recently, Google came with new features in android nougat with considerable changes in design after Android 6.0- Marshmallow version. Android 7.0 Nougat introduces a variety of new features and capabilities for users and developers.
Best features in android 7.0
1. Multi-window Support :
Sometimes when you’re doing two things at once it’s handy to be able to see them both at the same time. That’s what Multi-window is: more than one “window” on your phone’s screen. We’ve seen a similar feature with the same name from Samsung (and to a lesser extent LG) for a while, but Google has built things in a way that any app will just work, without the developer — or you — doing anything special. The screen will be split 50/50 by default, and it’s quick to pull up different apps on the top and bottom on a phone or left and right on a tablet.
2. Notification Enhancement :
With Android Nougat, you can reply to your notifications directly from their spot in the tray. You won’t have to open the app or install anything extra, either. Once the folks who built your app support the feature, it will just work.
Don’t worry though. When you need to see more or do more than just send a quick reply, you can still tap the notification to open an app and see everything. And with better bundling of multiple notifications from the same app, you’ll be able to tell when you need to see everything even easier.
3. New Emojis :
In addition to 72 new glyphs, Android 7.0 has over 1,500 emoji, many of which have been revamped to look a bit more…. human. Traditionally, Android emoji have been cartoony, which has encouraged other manufacturers like Samsung and LG to write their own.
4. Quick settings tile API :
Quick Settings is a popular and simple way to expose key settings and actions, directly from the notification shade. Android 7.0 expanded the scope of Quick Settings to make it even more useful and convenient. Added more room for additional Quick Settings tiles, which users can access across a paginated display area by swiping left or right. For developers, Android 7.0 also adds a new API that lets you define your own Quick Settings tiles to give users easy access to key controls and actions in your app.
5. Number Blocking :
Android 7.0 now supports number blocking in the platform and provides a framework API to let service providers maintain a blocked-number list. The default SMS app, the default phone app, and carrier apps can read from and write to the blocked-number list. The list is not accessible to other apps.
By making number blocking a standard feature of the platform, Android provides a consistent way for apps to support number blocking across a wide range of devices. Among the other benefits that apps can take advantage of are:
- Numbers blocked on calls are also blocked on texts
- Blocked numbers can persist across resets and devices through the Backup & Restore feature
- Multiple apps can use the same blocked numbers list
Additionally, carrier app integration through Android means that carriers can read the blocked numbers list on the device and perform service-side blocking for the user in order to stop unwanted calls and texts from reaching the user through any medium, such as a VOIP endpoint or forwarding phones.
6. Improved security :
Keeping your data private and personal is important. New features in Android Nougat make things even more secure. When you start your phone, some apps are able to partially work before you sign in with your password or PIN. Things like the actual phone app or your text messages can still come in, your alarm will still work and any accessibility features needed to better interact with your phone can still run. Other apps and their data will remain unavailable and/or encrypted. Once you sign in, everything will work normally.
This feature helps keep your data safe if your phone gets lost or stolen, and synergizes well with the remote features of Android Device Manager.
7. Android TV recording and Picture in picture :
Basic DVR functionality is coming to Android TV with 7.0. Besides basic controls like Play or Rewind, you’ll be able to save multiple sessions. This means you can schedule recordings or record as you watch.
This should be a great feature for Televisions that come with Android TV installed.
8. Android for work :
If you use your personal Android phone on the job through a managed system, changes are coming.For us, things will mostly look and act the same — but better tools and easier ways to set things up mean your IT guy might not be so busy (or so grumpy) and everyone’s information will be safer and more secure.
The things we could see, like not being able to use an app we love on company time or being forced to a certain network, depend on what your company needs and how they have things set up. Be sure to go over any questions with your hopefully less-grumpy IT guy if you have them.
9. Language and Locale :
If you have your phone set for a specific region — let’s say the French-speaking portion of Switzerland — your phone will now try to use a similar region setting if it can’t find a specific match. In our example, that means an app can display text and numerical data for standard French instead of just using the default language settings if Swiss localization wasn’t included.
You can also select multiple languages (or regionalizations of the same language) in an order of importance — if an app you’re using is localized for multiple languages you’ll see your top pick — if it’s set up for one but not all of your languages, it’ll pick the highest one it can.
Conclusion
These are the features of android nougat. The largest change in Android 7.0 is to the overall design philosophy of the Operating System. These are the good changes for better performance, stability and battery life. It has made the Design more cohesive. These features of android nougat make different from other android versions. These features were not available in android marshmallow.
References
Android Nougat : Description of android for Developers.
