Hello! As you all probably already know, the sixth version of our Android OS has finally received its official name: Android 6.0 Marshmallow. There were a lot of assumptions about how exactly the new version will be called: both Milkshake, and Merengue, and M & M's from MilkyWay. In addition, the final version of the Android SDK was released , supporting all the new features of the Android OS. On the title, tools for developers, the most important improvements and what awaits us with the arrival of Android 6.0, today we'll talk.

Sweets

Android from the first version gets the names in alphabetical order, tied to any delicious desserts.
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Early versions 1.0 and 1.1 were originally called Astroboy and Bender. But because of possible copyright issues with the names of other robots and androids, they have been renamed to match the rest of the line. The current list of Android versions looks like this:

What is Marshmallow

Marshmallow has no specific counterpart in European or Russian culture. Today it is a typical American product (despite the fact that it was originally invented in France), which you most often see on TV in the form of obscure-white-stuff-fry-on-sticks-over-bonfire.



For their preparation, corn syrup, gelatin, hot water and dextrose (the so-called "Grape sugar") are used.

It would be wrong to call modern Marshmallows marshmallows or pastila. Unlike marshmallows, they do not contain pectin and egg white, and the marshmallow is not at all similar in composition.

Android 6.0

Okay, we are not here to discuss the tasty things. If someone managed to forget (and since the announcement of Android 6.0 on Habré, a lot of time has passed), then the main areas of work after 5.0 and 5.1 have become security, privacy and extending the battery life of devices.

Security at the heart of the system

With the proliferation of various biometric sensors, manufacturers were forced to independently implement algorithms for working with them in the Android OS. With version 6.0, these “crutches” will be a thing of the past. Working with biometrics will take on a set of system APIs. Unlocking the screen, working with the sensor for third-party applications regardless of the smartphone model, purchases inside the Google Play store and authorization on websites with one touch will become a reality.



Manufacturers will no longer have to reinvent the wheel and open their APIs, and developers will have to adapt the code for each new smartphone with a fingerprint sensor, an iris scanner, or even a DNA analyzer if someone decides to release it.

Privacy and Application Permissions

Now (in Android 4.x / 5.x), the permissions for applications are as follows. When you install a program, you are given a list of what the application will be able to do. For example, get online, watch the list of contacts, send / receive SMS. Based on this list, you could decide whether to use the “Funniest Kittens of 2015” if they want to have access to call history, a list of contacts and sending SMS, or something is wrong here.

Now you can choose for each installed application what to allow and what not.



Implementation of the Permissions Management System (App Ops) in the Android OS began in version 4.4.2, but at the time of the first tests there were problems with the operation of applications that did not access the requested functions. Nevertheless, the function has been and remains in demand. We improved it until it was ready to work on consumer devices. We taught the system how to handle such exceptions and provided common APIs , thanks to which developers will be able to teach applications to respond correctly to the denial of additional privileges. In addition, now applications will issue requests for working with user data not at the time of installation, but in the process, so that the user does not forget or miss the moment when the next “Kittens” will want to send a million SMS to some short number.

Android Pay

The introduction of biometric authorization at the system level and new rules for access of applications to the user's personal data should make the system much safer. A secure system can be trusted not only with photos, passwords, documents, but also finances.



The built-in mobile payment system Andoid Pay will allow you to create virtual credit cards, link existing cards and pay in stores (via NFC and Paypass / payWave) and online quickly, safely, with biometric authorization. The service is in many ways similar to the already existing NFC-assistant and the hub of Google Wallet cards, but it is focused on working with vendors and stores, and not on P2P payments. Now this system is being tested in the United States.

Autonomy

Today, battery life is more dependent on hardware and usage scenarios than on the operating system. The laws of physics and efficiency of individual elements of smartphones will not be deceived, so along with the evolutionary development of iron, the creators of smartphones also work on software. It does not matter, you have Android, iOS or Windows Phone, under load in the form of three-dimensional graphics with bright special effects of modern games, the devices give up after about the same number of hours.

If your usage scenario fits into some “average” use case (a dozen or two minutes of calls, several hours of screen operation and data transfer, a couple of hours of music playback through the headset), then the device will live a day and a half.

Unfortunately, sometimes the smartphone leaves us without such an important percentage of charging at the most unnecessary moment. To increase the work on a single battery charge in Android M, the new Doze algorithm will be used, which reduces power consumption and “slows down” background services if your device has been without movement for a long time.

In the early Android Marshmallow builds, the charge savings reached 5-8% per day and almost 15% in two days. Now these figures have slightly increased, but the order of magnitude remains about the same. We hope that the introduction of Doze will help you stay in touch at the most important moments.

A hundred little things

In addition to these major and important changes in Android 6.0, dozens of less noticeable improvements await you (for example, the ability to choose between the light and dark theme of the system design), most of which will remain “under the hood”, completely invisible to most users. Nevertheless, there is one more thing that will not change the ecosystem of devices, will not change the idea of ​​autonomy, security or convenient payments, but it will definitely be in demand. This is a multi-window mode.

We have already seen the implementation of such features on the LG and Samsung phablets. Now this technology will be available out of the box. Want to read comments and watch videos on YouTube at the same time? Open the browser and chat, spy on Wikipedia and prove your point of view reasonably? Wait for Twitter feed updates and watch Google I / O on-line? Easy peasy.

Developer Tools

We updated the Android SDK to include the full set of relevant Android APIs so that you can align your applications with the capabilities of Android OS 6.0: teach them to work with biometrics, if necessary; ensure the correct processing of the new permissions mechanism ; introduce support for the design in light or dark colors.

API version 23 contains many changes , some are almost imperceptible and will not require serious corrections in applications, others are more sensitive, but all updates are aimed only at improving the user experience. At the same time, we recommend that you update the toolkit and check your application for compatibility with new APIs before a massive transition to them takes place.

The final assembly of tools is available for download via SDK Studio .

System Images

To test applications for compatibility with new APIs in addition to the SDK (which has now received the status of the “final” version), you will need emulator images or developer Android Android preview Marshmallow for Nexus devices.

These images allow you to test any application on a real hardware Nexus line of devices, but not yet recommended for everyday use.



The launch of the final version of Android 6.0 will start a little later (in the fall), and in order to further receive OTA updates, you will need to reflash the device to the factory firmware / final build of Android 6.0, since the support of the developer preview will stop.

Faster, longer, safer

Our new major update will allow Android devices to work longer, successfully protect user data, make secure payments and simply become even more convenient, and together with you we are waiting for the release of ready-made firmware for the Nexus line of devices and our partners' devices.

Already, Google Play is ready to receive your applications created using the 23rd version API in any of the channels (Alpha, Beta or Production) via the developer console. As soon as the user devices update to Android 6.0, they will automatically update your application to the latest version. If you already want to make sure that your updated application works not only on Android 6.0, but also on older versions of the Android OS, we recommend using the updated Beta testing service . Enthusiasts from all over Google Play will be able to test the new features of your application using the open Beta test, and you will get valuable feedback, error messages and the ability to make all the necessary changes before the release of Android 6.0, which will be released this fall. By the way, there is nothing left before it.



Learn new APIs, update and test your applications to meet the new Android fully armed. Have a good weekend! :)