Although available currently for the Google Pixel and the Nexus phones, the latest Android Nougat has a number of improvements in its latest version 7.1.1. It allows for a lot to be done with your smartphones and a lot of features that Android developers can use to create modern and innovative mobile apps. Here are some of the features that make Android Nougat better in terms of user experience and productivity:
3D Touch type
This feature was initially only available for the Pixel phones. But the Android 7.1.1 update makes these features now available for all phones running the Android operating system. This feature allows you to tap the app icon and hold it until you see a sub menu that contains certain app specific quick options on a pop up. This gives you quick access to certain features of the app.
Split screen apps
You can now run two applications side by side on a single screen. There is a option to enable the recent apps multitasking option. You can then choose which apps to see simultaneously on the screen. For example, you can browse the web and work on a document at the same time. You also have the ability to drag an image or text from one app and drop it into another.
Double tap to switch apps
You can simply double tap the multitasking button or the recent apps button to switch apps instantly. To return to the current app, you need to simply double tap again.
Data saver
Smartphone apps sometimes continue sending and receiving data even when in the background. If you do not have the right data plan configured from your network carrier, this might turn out to be very expensive. With the latest version of Android Nougat, you can simply turn on Data Savings mode and specify which app can access data in the background.
Notification controls
If you wish to stop notifications from a particular app, you no longer need to sift through individual app-settings. All you need to do is to pull down the notifications bar and choose the app that you do not wish to see notifications from and select your preference for the app: “show notifications silently”, “block all notifications” or “don’t silence or block”.
Expressions
Emojis are not a part of all conversations. The number of emojis has been increased depicting a range of professions and a lot more expressions. You can also send animated GIF images directly from the on-screen keyboard while you use supported apps such as Google Messenger and Hangouts.
Google has confirmed that currently only 0.4% of the smartphones are running this update currently – globally. This will change significantly and a lot more phones will have this update rolled out. The Android Nougat has a lot of promising new features that can be effectively used by app developers to create apps that are in line with the latest and greatest trends in the mobile domain.