At it's annual developer conference, Google just unveiled its next major version of Android: Android M. They'll likely announce the full name when it gets closer to its official launch date.
Today, they're just showing us a developer preview. Google says that there are hundreds of new features coming in the next version of Android, but we only got a small taste of them on stage.
Making app permissions easier to understand seems to be a big focus in Android M. Google's vice president of engineering Dave Burke says that smartphone users will no longer have to agree to permissions they don't want to. And, Android apps will condense permissions down to the ones that are most crucial, such as your phone's camera and the microphone.
Permissions are terms that you agree to when you download an app. They allow apps to access certain parts of your phone, like the camera, microphone, your contacts, and so on.
An improved version of Google Now, called Google On Tap, is also launching in Android M. It allows you to ask Google questions while you're in an app so that you don't have to interrupt what you're doing. Google showed an example on stage: while listening to Skrillex, they asked what Skrillex's real name is without exiting the music player.
Chrome custom tabs is another new feature coming to Android. It makes the browser feel like part of an app rather than looking like Google's Chrome browser.
Android Pay, Google's new payments platform, will also be part of Android M. Android Pay will work with any Android device that supports NFC, and Google says it will be compatible with over 700,000 retailers. Android Pay will work with Android 4.4 KitKat phones, too.
Google is also standardizing the use of fingerprint sensors in Android with Android M. With the M release, you'll be able to use the fingerprint sensor on your phone to make payments and unlock your phone.
Android M will be smarter about managing power through a new feature cold Doze. Android will use motion detection to see if you're actually using your device or if it's just sitting on your nightstand. If Android detects that your phone or tablet is not being used, it will diminish background activity to save power. Google says after testing it alongside Lollipop, a Nexus 9 tablet running Android M lasted twice as long.
Android M will also support USB Type C, which means phones and tablets will be able to charge faster.
The next version of Android comes with a few small goodies that make the software generally easier to use, too. There's a floating tool bar for quick access to things like copy and paste. The system can now automatically learn which apps you use most frequently and who you share with most frequently, so you can share photos with a single tap.
The Android M preview is available starting today for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player.
