If you’ve been waiting for Google to release the Developer Preview for its latest Android 7.1 update, your wait might be over soon. Google recently announced that it would be releasing Android 7.1 Developer Preview to selected Nexus devices “later this month”. Android 7.1, the first major update for Android 7.0 Nougat, was first announced at Google’s recent Pixel launch event.
As expected, Android 7.1 will be available as a Developer Preview to selected Nexus devices namely the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C devices. Similar to when Google released Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview that was released earlier this year, this will be available through the Android Beta program. Android 7.1 will bring new features for consumers and developers “from platform Daydream VR support and A/B system updates to app shortcuts and image keyboard support.”
As for developers, Android 7.1 adds new capabilities to help drive engagement in your app and deliver an improved user experience like:
- App shortcuts API — lets you surface key actions directly in the launcher and take your users deep into your app instantly. You can create up to 5 shortcuts, either statically or dynamically.
- Circular app icons support — lets you provide great-looking rounded icon resources that match the look of Pixel and other launchers.
- Enhanced live wallpaper metadata — lets you provide metadata about your live wallpapers to any picker displaying the wallpapers as a preview. You can show existing metadata such as label, description, and author, as well as a new context URL and title to link to more information.
Sadly, Google did not announce the exact date, so if you want to get it, sign up for the Android Beta program to wait for the good news.
(Source: Android Developers Blog via: The Verge)
