Android N Developer Preview : Installation Guide

Google has released Android N Developer Preview and it has given us a glimpse of all the
new featureslike multi-window support, notification enhancements, revamped Doze, and
many more. If you are wondering how to install Android N Developer Preview, follow these
steps.

How to install Android N Developer PreviewThe Android N Developer Preview is now available in the form of factory images to download
 for theNexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, General Mobile 4G, Nexus Player, Nexus 9, and Pixel
 C devices. Before going ahead with our how to install the Android N Developer Preview, we
 warn readers that theversion of the operating system is not yet ready to be a daily d
river for consumers, and is primarily meant for developers.

We would also warn users before downloading the Android N Developer Preview that there
is a good chance that there are bugs to iron out at this stage. Before you do that, it's vital to
take a full backup of your Android smartphone.

Install Android N Developer Preview via factory imageBefore proceeding to download the developer preview, make sure to install the latest Android
 Studio Preview on your system. The program runs on the system helping connect to the
Android device via Micro-USB cable and flash the new Android build to the device.

With Android Studio Preview, the ADB and Fastboot programmes are also installed which
can be accessed through the command terminal on your PC. Make sure to have slight
knowledge of how the ADB and Fastboot function while flashing a new OS.

Here's how to manually download Android N Developer Preview and install it on your device.

1) Download the correct factory image for your device from here.

2) Go to Settings > Developer options and tick USB debugging.

3) Extract the images and save on your computer.

4) Connect your device to your computer over USB.

5) Start the device in fastboot mode.

You may be required to boot into fastboot mode using the ADB tool: With the device powered
 on, go to the command terminal and execute the following: adb reboot bootloader. This will
give access to device's bootloader.

6) Navigate to the unzipped system image directory.

7) Execute "flash-all.bat", which should unzipped image files and install the necessary
bootloader, baseband firmware(s), and operating system. This will take time and will see
several reboots. The step will install Android N Developer preview on device.

Install Android N Developer Preview via OTA updateThe simplest way to install the Android N Developer Preview is via the Android Beta Program.
 Not only do you get the update over-the-air, but you do not need to flash your device. Users
also get future pre-release Android N beta updates as and when they become available, as
 well as maintenance releases (MRs).

At the end of the program, you will begin to receive regular public updates. Users can opt-out
of the program at any time to return to the stable, public version of Android. However, they
should note that if they opt-out when their device is running a beta version of Android, all user
 data on the device will be wiped. Users are recommended to backup their data before
beginning the process.

1) Visit g.co/androidbeta on your desktop or mobile browser

2) Sign into your Google account associated with an eligible device (devices eligible are the
Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and General Mobile 4G.)

3) Under Your Eligible Devices, select Enroll Device for the device you'd like to enroll.

4) Agree to the terms and conditions, and then click Join Beta

5) A system update will then be offered to your device. Users can check to see if an update
 is pending by navigating to Settings > About > System updates.

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Google Android N Preview — 6 Cool Features That You Should Know

Android N Developer Preview, an early beta of Google’s new mobile operating system that was expected to launch on Google I/O in mid-May, is unexpectedly launching right now.

Android N Developer Preview for the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Pixel C Nexus 9, the Nexus Player and the General Mobile 4G, an Android One device has been made available as an over-the-air update by Google on Wednesday.

So, you can test out Android N Developer Preview on your smartphone and tablet right now from developer.android.com/preview.

The good news is that the Google Android team has brought meaningful features to your smartphone and tablet in just five months.

"As we look to the next release of Android, N, you’ll notice a few big changes aimed at you as developers: it’s earlier than ever, it’s easier to try and we’re expanding the ways for you to give us feedback," Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google's SVP for Android writes. "We hope these changes will ensure that you are heard and reflected – that’s what makes Android stronger."

Here's what I like about the new Android Developer Preview so far.

1. Multi-Window API

Multi-window support is the feature users have long asked for – especially on tablets. The feature allows users to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.

So now you can type out a message while viewing a map, check the weather while watching videos, and so on. The screen can be split horizontally or vertically as you prefer.

2. Reply to Messages Directly Without Leaving an App

Among the new changes in Android N are improved notifications. Notifications support "direct reply" feature for app developers who can now allow their users to reply to incoming notifications of WhatsApp, Twitter or SMS messages straight from the notification panel without having to launch the app in question.

Developers can also choose to bundle notification alerts from the same app together, enabling users to see them as a bundle and expand individually if necessary.

3. Better Battery Life

This is the biggest relief for all Android users. With Android Marshmallow, Google introduced a new battery-saving feature called Doze that places an Android device into a deep power-savings mode when it is stationary for a while.

In Android N, Google is taking this feature a step further by allowing Doze to work whenever the screen is OFF, not just when the device is stationary. So your smartphone's battery will now last even longer when it's in standby mode.

4. Data Saver

Moreover, Google continues to work on making its Android OS less memory-hungry and making apps running in the background work more efficiently.

When turned ON, the Data Saver feature restricts the apps from using data connection as well as prevent pulling in embedded videos and images on web pages. You can also pick selected apps that may be allowed to use the data connection even when the feature is ON.

However, the Data Saver feature in Android N will be particularly helpful for those who are on prepaid or pay-on-the-go connections for data.

5. Picture-in-Picture Mode

Now you can view a YouTube video while reading through a report in Word on your Android device, thanks to Picture-in-picture feature in Android N.

"Picture-in-picture (PIP) mode lets apps run a video activity in the pinned window while another activity continues in the background. The PIP window lets users multitask while using your app, which helps users be more productive." Google describes.

The feature will be more useful for those with tablets or larger phones.

6. No Need to Flash Your Device (Direct Boot)

Yes, the most brilliant part is that you do not need to flash or tether your device to a PC in order to download and install the new Android N Developer Preview, as it can be downloaded straight to your device.

These are the things that are now known to us about the all new Android N Developer Preview, but one thing we definitely don’t know yet that what the ‘N’ will stand for. For me it’s Nutella.

What do you think the "N" will stand for?

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