Hands-On With the Android N Developer Beta: Multi-Window & More
by Brandon Chester on March 10, 2016 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Android
- Mobile
- Tablets
Initial Impressions
Though I suspect it's not a popular opinion, I have long felt that the software design ecosystem for Android tablets has been stuck in a rut since the early days, and as a result users have struggled to find good, modern applications that really excel at the tablet experience. Android N can't magically bring proper tablet interfaces to all Android apps, but the Multi-Window support is a big help in improving the situation. With split windows in use, on a standard tablet you're really dealing with a screen segmented into two areas, and this is where a phone layout works pretty well. With that in mind, it does help to address the problems that Android tablets currently face, but I do hope that developers will continue to maintain existing tablet UIs, and that new developers will take the time to create ones. I don't know if Google's internal app development groups are prepared for this, but I have faith in the larger Android's developer community.
It's worth noting that the Multi-Window mode technically also works on phones. That said, unless you have a 6.8" phone (which is practically a tablet), I don't think the feature is very useful, but it's there. Even on the Nexus 6 there's just not enough screen space, and I would never use it myself. That said, while I was initially ttempted to recommend that Google just remove the feature on phones, on reflection it doesn't really hurt anyone to have it there for users that want it. On top of that, leaving it to tablets alone may cause some developers to just not support the feature entirely.
Google also has an advantage with Android apps already being designed to support many resolutions and aspect ratios. Several apps that I tried already worked with the split screen mode, and developers aren't going to have to rebuild their UIs like they did when Apple introduced split screen multitasking on iOS. In fact, it's most certainly the case that there are more apps that work with Android N's multitasking than there are that work with multitasking on the iPad, and considering that the feature just launched today in a beta OS I'd say that's a big win for Google and for Android.
If I were to make any recommendations for Google, it would be to make it a bit more obvious to the user that you can hold down the multitasking button inside an app to instantly get into split view mode. I happened to come across it because I figured that Google would have implemented some sort of quick access method, but it's not obvious enough for your average user. In addition, I think the current method of simply filling the view with the background color as you adjust the ratio between apps is not very aesthetically pleasing. These apps still aren't really designed to adjust their UI in real time, and although it's somewhat lame to just blur it out like Apple does on iOS, it looks better than watching the UI frantically try to fill the space.
Quick toggles are easier to access in Android N
As for Google's other changes, I think they're in line with what we've come to expect. After Lollipop, Google was able to step back and focus on the lower level problems with their platform, particularly regarding efficiency. The improvements to Doze will certainly have an impact on energy usage, and blocking apps from waking up in large numbers whenever the phone goes on or off of WiFi is a smart move. I expect that we'll see continued improvement of this sort in future Android releases, as problems with energy management are potentially the biggest problem plaguing the platform right now, with performance and usability having been mostly sorted out. These releases also provide a way for Google to make small improvements to areas like notifications and their built in applications to make the user experience a lot better through many little changes.
On that note, I'm sure many of our more technical readers are interested in being part of the beta. I'm very happy that Google has taken the necessary steps to make the process of enrolling in the program much easier for developers and users. Right now the supported devices include the Pixel C, Nexus 9, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, and Nexus Player. To enroll your device in the beta you can visit this link and your device will quickly notify you that an update is available. It does need to be reiterated that this is a developer beta and a true beta at that - it's not a large-stage end-user beta - but I would encourage enthusiasts who do enroll to consider sending some feedback to Google about what they like and what could be improved, as that's ultimately what these beta programs are all about.
One last thing to note is Google's incentive for developers to test their apps on tablets so they can ensure proper Multi-Window support. For a limited time developers can sign up here to get a promo code which will knock 25% off the cost of the Google Pixel C. With Google recently having patched the most serious bugs on the Pixel C, for $375 it's a pretty good tablet and a very good device for doing application testing considering the fact that the Android N beta only works on two tablets. Interested developers can sign up here, and Google is seemingly taking people on faith that they really do intend to use the unit for development as it only involves entering your email address.
With Android N being in its early stages, I must say that I'm impressed with the stability and usability of the features that Google has added. With Google IO on the horizon we'll certainly be hearing more about what's coming in Android N, and I'm very excited about the direction Google is headed in.
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raptormissle - Thursday, March 10, 2016 - link
Have they ever given Apple "recommendations"? I'm on the side they haven't. Ars must think Apple is beyond reproach.michael2k - Friday, March 11, 2016 - link
Well, do you have any? Note that N is going to come out a year after iOS 9, which already added multitasking and windowing improvements, for example, as well as having the nominally better sleep and memory behavior mentioned as improvements in the article. iOS doesn't broadcast changes to wake up apps, so doesn't need to remove that. Thanks to having support for multiple binaries and a fixed number of CPU configurations, iOS also allows for per CPU optimization to improve performance and memory optimizations.raptormissle - Saturday, March 12, 2016 - link
You need to qualify your statements. First, Android N multi-windows works on all devices - phones and tablets and whatever else that runs N. Additionally, apps already work with Android's multi-window without any modification whatsoever.As for iOS - multi-window support is only available on 2 or 3 iPad models and is not available on phones. Additionally, to support the multi-window functionality in an iPad the app must be modified to support it.
Brandon Chester - Thursday, March 10, 2016 - link
Android does not publicly have a built in battery percentage nor the ability to use Multi-Window apps. It doesn't matter what you can do with adb or system UI tuner, it's effectively not accessible for 99% of users. To claim that all of these features "has been in Android for years" is simply incorrect and ridiculous.Also, you're misunderstanding what I've written about the multitasking button behavior. Holding down the multitasking button has absolutely no effect right now. Holding down a button and tapping it are not the same action. In Android N depending on whether you hold or tap it you get a different response due to the new Multi-Window features. However, because that interaction hasn't previously existed, Google should make it clearer to the user that they can do that.
ThisIsChrisKim - Thursday, March 10, 2016 - link
But the most popular Android OEM, Samsung, implements these features in their phones and tablets. So it's probably a bit more commonly used than you might think?extide - Thursday, March 10, 2016 - link
In Samsung phones you hold the back button to bring up the multi window menu, not the app-switcher button, so it is different. You can also swipe from the top right to make an app into a window on Samsung devices, and that may be different too, so he made a perfectly valid statement.ThisIsChrisKim - Thursday, March 10, 2016 - link
I was referring to battery percentage and multi window existing in Samsung's software. Not the way you interact with the multitasking button.BenSkywalker - Friday, March 11, 2016 - link
Doubling down on your extreme iOS perspective, OK. iOS doesn't have a 'built in' YouTube app- would you honestly try and pass off YouTube on iOS as a new feature? I have here an old CupCake Android phone with the battery indicator as numeric- it has been around as I stated, for many years. For side by side multi tasking on Android- *YOU* wrote an article last year about this functionality on a *second generation* Tab S device last year(the one where you went all iOS even in the specification chart, listing the originals as running 4.4 when 5.0 had been over the air for *six months* prior to your article). You want screenshots of these things, or are you going to explain to people that iOS can't view YouTube because it isn't actually part of the OS?I read this article for the first time on an OPO. I hit the multitasking button and it brought up the browser options- I held the multitasking button down and it opened up a view of every application I had running. That interaction has existed, on Android, for a long time now- as have the other features as others have already mentioned.
This isn't iOS- one size doesn't fit all, devices are free to do whatever they want- including rebuilding the entire OS- Amazon's Fire line is a good example- still Android. They exacting build you have on one particular device does *NOT* mean "Android". This isn't iOS. Seriously, if you could read yourself from an enlightened perspective you would realize how absurdly foolish you sound. Your world revolves around iOS, that's fine, get someone who knows what they are talking about to handle Android.
For the record- Your excluding Slingshot and Car Chase is getting embarrassing, we are coming up on a year now for Slingshot.
erple2 - Saturday, March 12, 2016 - link
No, Brandon is correct. None of my Nexus devices with base Android have any of the multitasking features that you claim exist. They simply aren't there.Once you start talking about customizations of Android with various vendor flavors, including custom ROMs, all bets are off. I could fork Android and implement some crazy feature with my fork, but I can't claim that Android supports my crazy feature.
BenSkywalker - Sunday, March 13, 2016 - link
Brandon is absolutely wrong. You claim your Nexus devices don't have multitasking features that I claim exist? First, I would point out that older iPads aren't Nexus devices, then I could point you to hundreds of different places-http://nexus7.wonderhowto.com/how-to/extreme-multi...
Yeah, even the four year old Nexus 7 has had multi window multi tasking available for years. That is a straight from Google device using a straight from Google build of the OS and multi window support is available. Not exactly your highly customized fork. Brandon doesn't like Android, we all get that, he is very devoted to iOS, again, no problem with that. Someone who actually is an Android user should probably cover Android devices to avoid looking completely ignorant.