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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Planning to buy a phone? Look for one that runs Android Nougat
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Planning to buy a phone? Look for one that runs Android Nougat

Nougat looks a lot like the previous version of Android but offers several under the hood improvements which help the user experience considerably

The new update is finally rolling out on Nexus smartphones globally in phases and will show up on other Android devices as well by the end of the year.Premium
The new update is finally rolling out on Nexus smartphones globally in phases and will show up on other Android devices as well by the end of the year.

Google’s yearly update to Android OS is no longer about bringing in new design elements. The focus with the Android Nougat, also known as Android N or Android 7.0, has been more on optimization and making the overall user experience better. The new update is finally rolling out on Nexus smartphones globally in phases and will show up on other Android devices as well by the end of the year. It retains the looks of Android Marshmallow but offers some great features as well.

We take a look at some of the key features of the new Android OS which makes it better than its predecessor.

Quick multi-tasking

Side-by-side multi-tasking was first seen in Samsung Galaxy Note range of smartphones. Google has added it in Android Nougat allowing users to open two apps side by side on the same screen. So you can open an app, in half of the screen space, and some other app or the multi-tasking window in the other half. Android Marshmallow allows users to open only one app at a time.

The other highlight of Android Nougat is that now users can close all apps running in the background at once, unlike Android Marshmallow where you have to close every app one by one.

Also read: Android Nougat: When will your phone get the OS?

The quick access feature allows users to switch open the last app they were using by double tapping on the recent apps button. In Android Marshmallow, one had to scroll through the multi-tasking window to look for the app.

Better battery management

The new Android comes with Doze 2.0, an improved version of Google’s battery management tool that was introduced with Android Marshmallow. It saved battery by putting the phone in standby mode and killing processes when the phone’s screen was off and inactive for a while.

With Doze 2.0, this feature comes into action the moment the screen is switched off. It puts the phone into a deeper standby mode by switching off network access, GPS, wake-locks and background syncs. What makes it better than Marshmallow is that now it works even when the phone is not stationary.

Improved notifications window

The notification panel handles screen space better. Unlike in Android Marshmallow, where tapping on a notification slide takes you to the app itself, Android Nougat allows users to reply to messages from the notifications slide itself. For example, you can reply to a notification from the messenger app on the notification panel, without closing the app you are currently on. Also, you can change the notification settings in an individual app by tapping and holding the notification slide.

Can handle games better

Android Nougat supports the advanced 3D graphics API (application programming interface) called Vulkan which delivers superior gaming performance. It is an advanced version of AMD’s Mantle API and works on similar lines as Direct 3D graphics API for Microsoft’s Windows OS.

Also read: Android Nougat: Peel the wrapper, and a smarter OS emerges

It can handle VR apps smoothly and is better at distributing workload among multiple cores in a processor. This means a smartphone running the latest Android will be able to handle animations and effects in graphically intensive games better than smartphones running Android Marshmallow, which doesn’t support Vulkan API.

Supports new VR

With Google getting deeper and deeper into virtual reality on smartphones, it was logical for the new OS to be able to handle it. Google’s new VR gaming platform called Daydream, a superior successor to Google Cardboard, is built on top of Android N. Unlike Cardboard, which worked with any Android device, for Daydream users will require a smartphone running Android Nougat. Content for Daydream will be available from Google Play Store, YouTube and StreetView. It is also in talks with Netflix, EA Sports and Ubisoft for special VR apps and games for Daydream.

Seamless updates

Android Nougat brings in a new feature called seamless updates. This basically allows updates to be downloaded automatically in the background and kept in a separate partition. Whenever the phone is rebooted next, the partition will be merged and the user will get the updated version of Android. In Android Marshmallow, the user can’t use the device while it is updating. This has a limitation, though. You won’t be able to decide whether you want the update or not.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhijit Ahaskar
Abhijit writes on tech policy, gaming, security, AI, robotics, electronics and startups. He has been in the media industry for over 12 years.
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Published: 31 Aug 2016, 12:32 PM IST
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