Android P developer preview expected to come out mid-March: Here’s what we know

Android Oreo, Google’s most recent mobile operating system, introduced a few new features like notification dots, Picture-in-Picture, and autofill among others. And while the operating system is meant to improve performance and battery life as well, only a little over 1 per cent of all Android devices can actually boast of it. That’s disappointing considering were already approaching the official launch of Android P now, with the first developer preview being tipped for mid-March.

Popular tipster Evan Blass tweeted over the weekend that the first developer preview for Android P will be released mid-March. The exact date, however, has not been provided, but this does keep in line with the first preview for Android Oreo which was released on March 21 last year. The first preview will give us a better look at some of the new features coming to Android P. Mostly, the developer preview will focus on quashing some bugs and allowing app developers to get their apps ready for when Android P goes official.

Google is expected to officially announce the Android P at its developers conference that is scheduled to begin on May 8 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. Of course, that is when we should really know what the P will officially stands for. As of now, there are a number of P-named desserts being speculated that includes some sort of Pie, maybe Pumpkin Pie or Pecan Pie. Also, March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant Pi and gives people a reason to eat Pie, and this could be the date for the release of the first Android P developer preview as well.

Very little is known at the moment about what Android P is going to bring to the table. As per past reports, Android P will prevent idle apps from accessing your camera or mic. Another report from last month said that Android P will add support for call recording tone so users can lawfully record phone calls as well as an enhanced call blocking feature. There are also reports that the upcoming major OS will bring native iris scanning support as well, but nothing can be said for sure as of now.

The most interesting of all the reports we have heard so far is Google planning to support the iPhone Xs notch with Android P. As per a Bloomberg report last month, a key goal of Android P will be to persuade more iPhone users to make the switch to Android. Google plans to do this by improving the look of the software, which includes embracing the notch. Essentially, a redesign to Android P will allow OEMs to design affordable full-screen phones with notch cutouts to lure Apple fans away. MWC 2018 already gave us a good look at some Android phones donning the iPhone X-like notch, suggesting that this is a trend we can look forward to this year. The Huawei P20 and OnePlus 6, based on the leaks so far, are some more phones expected to sport the notch and Android P should allow for better optimisation.

Source:-.indiatoday.