The release of Android M has been the talk of the town recently, and tech enthusiasts have been eager to get their hands on updates about Lollipop's successor. Previews have been released by Google and here are the updates that we know so far.
As of this time, Android M is a piece of beta software, which is still under development. It's meant for developers and enthusiast, not for the general public.
Android M Developer Preview has been installed on Nexus 6 and Gotta Be Mobile found out that many apps are not yet updated, some had occasional crashes and some features are still broken. If the user relies on the device and doesn't have a spare one, it is advised to skip updating it for now.
There are no words from Google about the new features Android M might contain, so people turn to speculations. Some say that the latest OS will incorporate some kind of an SDK-like that offers smart home integration.
Another speculation is that, similar to Apple's CarPlay, Google will strengthen its Android Auto integration in Android M. Many are also requesting for a Quick Reply to notification feature, wherein it will allow the users to just simply click on a notification banner and reply instantly to a message or email while on another app.
Finally, the multi-window support. This will allow two apps to work on the screen at once.
Meanwhile, Android M aims to improve the device's battery life with the use of "Doze." Android Geeks learned that it will double the standby time of Nexus 9, which is currently running on Lollipop.
Many assumed that this next release will be Android's version 6.0. However, Know Your Mobile checked some recent reports and found out that it may not be version 6.0, rather 5.2.
In the past, it has been observed that Android version number were shown by Google through the system clock -- example, Android 4.4 showed 4:40, Android 5.0 showed 5:00. In this case, the time displayed on the screenshot released by Google was 5:20.
This may just be a speculation, but it could be quite a reasonable one.
Google previously released the version names in alphabetical order, starting with Cupcake, then Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat and Lollipop. Rumor has it that an illustration that resembles a milkshake was seen on a Google executive's smartwatch, so many are thinking that it will be the name Google's next OS.
Google did not provide any specific release date for Android Developer Preview 3, but many are expecting it will be released within the next 7-10 days.
