Android M is coming: here are all the new features of the next version of the little green robot

Last night at 6:30 PM Italian time, the lights of the Moscone Center in San Francisco lit up to illuminate His Majesty Google, ready to present the latest version of the world’s most popular smartphone software: Android. There are many new system features, fewer graphical ones, which suggest that the Mountain View company is concentrating on making important improvements, especially regarding the daily use of the little green robot.

Let’s go in order and see what is introduced with Android M:

• Web Navigation;
• App Links;
• Android Pay;
• Application Permissions;
• Native support for fingerprint sensors;
• Battery and charging;
• USB Type C and smartphones as power banks.

Web Navigation

Interesting news on the navigation front: thanks to Android M, the browser integrates with applications in such a way that when an app needs to open a web page, you will no longer leave the app to go to Chrome, but you can do it directly within the application, speeding up and lightening the operating system.

App Links

This feature is related to the development phase. Thanks to App Links, the user experience is simplified. In fact, whenever a link is activated that leads to YouTube, the system no longer asks whether to open it with Chrome or the YouTube app, but it is activated directly.

Android Pay

Thanks to Android Pay, it will be possible to exploit the NFC technology present on the smartphone (not on all of them) to make payments, and from now on developers can integrate them directly through applications.

Application Permissions

The management of app permissions has been profoundly improved. Android M offers a specific menu where the user has the option to choose whether to enable or disable certain authorizations.

Native support for fingerprint sensors

Android M natively supports fingerprint sensors with the ability to unlock smartphones and tablets.

Battery and charging

“Doze” is the main innovation concerning the battery and energy saving management. This feature improves synchronization in stand-by mode, useful for optimizing battery usage.

USB Type C and smartphones as Power Banks

Android M introduces support for USB Type C connectors. This way, the smartphone acquires the functionality of a power bank to charge other devices.

The official OTA release is expected by the end of this year. We just have to wait patiently or try the preview available since yesterday.