Google has given a name to its Android 6.0 mobile operating system: Marshmallow. The operating system that had been referred to as Android M, continues Google's tradition in naming its operating system after sugary treat.
It's a tradition for Google to designated a letter of the alphabet for its major overhaul of the dominant mobile operating system. The first version to use this tradition was the Cupcake, which was followed by Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop and now Marshmallow.
Android is used in nearly 80 percent of smartphones worldwide, because of its availability throughout many mobile device manufacturers, opposed to Apple's iOS that is dedicated only to Apple products. Although many of the many Android devices use older versions that upgrades aren't available, Android is leading the platform for tablets.
Tasty New Name, Tasty New Treats
Google first announced plans for Android M at its 2015 I/O developer conference in May, and the official announcement of M as Marshmallow on August 17th, 2015, coincides with the release of the final developer preview update for the operating system which includes its official software development kit (SDK).
Developers can now also publish their apps for Android Marshmallow on the Google Play store.
As a successor of Lollipop, Google claimed that Marshmallow is the most powerful Android release yet. The update brings hundreds of improvements, but many of them are very incremental.
The first developer preview had many new features. But with each new preview, they're focusing more on stability rather than new features.
Android Marshmallow, just like previous major releases, introduces many new things. As a start, Google that begun to like using plenty of animations on Android, started to use boot animations. Boot animations that was introduced with Android Lollipop, the Marshmallow's boot animation took it a bit further with colorful circles that spin, resize, bounce and morph into the "Android" wordmark.
After the operating system idles up, users are given a fresh new look of the operating system. Starting with a new wallpaper, new and redesigned interface. Users are given the ability to edit the Quick Settings toggles which has options for the icons in the status bar.
Now on Tap has improved. With a long-press to the home button, users will notice a white outline traces on the screen which will then pop-up Now cards. As part of the Android Marshmallow release, the Now on Tap is an update to Google Now personal assistant. By having it accessible anywhere, users can use Now no matter what they're doing.
By tapping and holding the home button, users can pop up and search for anything without leaving the app they are in. The Now on Tap can also be used to find new apps and in-app content.
Google has added a few new advanced options to the app management settings, including "Modify system settings" and "Battery optimization." The operating system also highlights Doze which detects when the device's motion sensor is inactive and cuts down on the level of background app activity. Google claims this feature can double the device's battery life. The new permissions settings makes it easier for users to decide what information the apps on their phone can use, by giving them the opportunity to confirm or deny access in context.
Users can also revoke permission for an app to access certain information via a new option in the settings menu. This ability streamlines the permissions model for users when they want to install or upgrade apps.
The Marshmallow brings support for Android Pay, Google's answer to Apple Pay. With the feature, users can pay for things in shops straight from their mobile devices. Once the user has registered their cards, they can simply place the device near a merchant's contactless terminal to make payments. For added security, Marshmallow's fingerprint sensor support is now native. Fingerprint on Marshmallow can also be used to unlock devices and make purchases on Google Play.
Google has released the API for fingerprint feature so developers can build fingerprint authentication into their own applications, allowing users to sign in without the need for a password.
This confirms Marshmallow to have a wide support for a fingerprint scanner. Apple has offered this since introducing Touch ID on the iPhone 5S.
Android Marshmallow also brings support for a new type of USB connector called USB-C. Claimed to have the ability to charge the device three to five times faster than microUSD chargers, the connector can also be plugged either way around. Just like Apple's Lightning connector.
Other improvements in Android Marshmallow are incremental. But the point of that is to help improve experience without overwhelming the user. For example, App links reduces the number of popup dialog boxes that often interrupt users as they jump between apps that are changed when the user clicks on them, Android Auto Backup and Restore for Apps are now working together seamlessly with Google Drive so users can backup their data much easier, redesigned app drawer and more.
