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android N developer preview 3

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AOSP Changelog Posted For Android N Developer Preview 3 And June's Android 6.0.1 Security Updates

Cody Toombs

June's security updates are now available for all of the currently supported Nexus (and Pixel C) devices. As usual, the code changes to go along with this month's new firmware have been uploaded to AOSP and we've got some changelogs to look through. While it's a bit late, Google also uploaded the code changes for N Developer Preview 3. As usual, this isn't a complete release of N, but mostly just the code for projects licensed under the GPL.

Google has already posted the security bulletin, which describes the lion's share of changes. Most of the issues resolved in this version have to do with vulnerabilities in Qualcomm drivers.

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Android N Dev Preview 3: Demo Mode Is Back, Now In Developer Settings

Phil Oakley

If you think back to when Marshmallow was unveiled, and then even further back to when it was still known as 'M', you may remember a feature in the System UI Tuner, known as 'Demo Mode.' It was a useful setting, especially for developers or others needing to take screenshots (ahem), since it replaced the notification bar with a generic, preset one which did not show any existing notifications or low battery warnings.

It disappeared in Developer Preview 2, though, seemingly gone without a trace. As with everything in the System UI Tuner, things are liable to disappear, break, or be removed at any time, so this wasn't entirely a surprise (see David's comment from a few days ago for more info).

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Android N Feature Spotlight: Exposure Settings Make A Return In The Camera App

Phil Oakley

The camera might be, overall, the most complained-about feature in stock Android. While other flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S7, the iPhone 6S, and the HTC 10 have gratuitous features provided in their camera apps, the Nexus devices have none. No white balance adjustments, shutter speed corrections, or different filters. Maybe the most obvious option that has been missing is exposure settings, which just about every other device worth its salt has.

However, if dev preview 2 and 3 are of any indication, an option to make changes to exposure may be coming back. In Dev Preview 2, the Pixel C had a Manual Exposure toggle under 'Advanced' in Settings.

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Android's Age-Old System Animation Gets Updated In N Developer Preview 3

Phil Oakley

It would definitely seem like Google is making Android N the 'polish' release: things which haven't seen any changes for years, like the System UI icon, are getting refreshed, while features are not being included in the final release because of a lack of polish (like the dark theme and night mode). Even the update procedure is getting updated.

As well as the aforementioned System UI icon, another long standing Android fan-favorite is getting a revamp: the OS update animation. Gone is the little Android figure with his front open, a prism turning, and his antenna going. It feels like it's been in Android forever, but it might be gone soon: instead, the new animation is a swirling circle of light, which looks great but maybe has lost some of its inherent Android-y-ness.

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Android N Developer Preview 3 Fixes Double Tap To Open Camera, Doesn't Lock Device Anymore

Phil Oakley

Since 6.0.1 Marshmallow, Android has had a cool feature whereby you tap the power button twice in quick succession and the camera app will open. It's a handy feature, and one I use reasonably regularly to quickly snap a photo.

However, ever since it was introduced, there's been an issue: if the phone or tablet is unlocked and the power button is double tapped, the device will first lock and then open the camera app, rather than just opening the camera. This behaviour is definitely present in Marshmallow, and we're reasonably certain it was the same for N Developer Preview 2 (DP2), although we can't actually find a device to test on (if you have DP2 and find this isn't the case, let us know in the comments).

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Android N Developer Preview 3 Has Two New Dev-Focused Quick Settings, And The Missing Night Mode Is Still (Sort Of) Accessible

Phil Oakley

Quick settings is the site of major improvements in Android N—there's a new row of five toggles along the top of the notification shade, the quick settings can be rearranged, and you can even add new tiles. The latest Android N Dev Preview 3 brings more improvements and tweaks to quick settings.

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Android Pay Now Works On Android N Developer Preview 3

Phil Oakley

The first two N Developer Previews were alpha releases, so naturally a good number of things didn't work correctly. One of the apps that purposely did not work as intended was Android Pay, which produced a screen saying it was disabled until a future release. As Developer Preview 3 is now officially a beta, the Android team has seemingly seen fit to restore Android Pay to working order.

The reason Android Pay now works is because Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) is now approved. This also means other apps that depend on CTS should work too. On Developer Preview 1 and 2, this was not approved, and so Android Pay did not work.

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