Android N Developer Preview 3 Adds VR Support, Instant Apps, and Sustainable Performance Mode

Google has also unveiled the third Android N Developer Preview at Google I/O 2016, and the first “beta quality” release, available on Nexus 6, 9, 5X, 6P, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and Android One as a “seamless updates” if you opt-in to the Android Beta Program in order to get an over-the-air update with the very latest firmware.

Google wants Android N to be faster, safer and more productive. The first two previews addressed performance with a new JIT compiler and Vulkan 3D graphics API support, productivity with multi-window support and direct reply from notifications, as well as security thanks to seamless updates bringing the latest security patchsets to your phones in a timely manner.

The third preview brings fixes, and some interesting new features:

VR Mode in Android – Google has modified and augmented the Android stack in N to reduce lag between sensor data readings (e.g. head motion) and sending pixels to the display. Motion-to-photon latency on Nexus 6P is now less than 20 ms, a required to make the user feel he/she is really in the rendered scene. You can read Imagination Tech blog post for more details about low latency implementation. Google has now two VR kits: the good old Cardboard and a new platform called Daydream, just like Android screensaver, that’s virtual reality kit with a two button motion controller that will be available in fall 2016, and work with upcoming Android N smartphones.

Android Instant Apps – So far if you want to install and an app, you need to go to Google Play, search for it, install it after agreeing to permissions, and finally you can tap to run it. Google has decided to develop a faster way with Android Instant Apps which let you skip the installation part. You just need to tap to run the app as you would do when you click a link on your web browser. Android Instant Apps are compatible with Android 4.1+ using Google Play services.
Sustained Performance Mode – Most recent devices will throttle under heavy load, leading to dramatic performance fluctuation of long-running apps. To address these limitations, Android N includes support for sustained performance mode, enabling OEMs to provide hints about device-performance capabilities for long-running apps. App developers can use these hints to tune apps for a predictable, consistent level of device performance over long periods of time. The new API is currently only enabled on Nexus 6P device.

You can get a complete list of API changes for Android N (all preview versions) on Google Developer’s Android N page. Google has still not decided about the actual name for Android N, so they’re asking for your help.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.