Android M’s New Features

Announced at the Google I/O conference, Android M is the precursory name given to the newest Android OS. Likely to come out later this year with a dessert themed name (I’m betting on Mochi), M will likely look a lot like Lollipop –but have some new features added. A new developer build is available and with it come a few exciting features to whet our appetites while we wait for the full release. Here are some highlights:

• The revamped Google Photo app will come with M and with it unlimited storage (up to 16MP pics/1080p video) and intelligent auto-tagging functionality.
• App permissions will also be tweaked allowing for developers to request relevant permissions as they arise, instead of all-at-once upon installation (finally!).
• Doze is a new feature to help promote longer battery life. Android M will use motion detection to put the phone to sleep (and limit background app refresh) whenever the phone is inactive for a stretch of time.
• Perhaps most intriguing is a new feature, Now on Tap. In the most basic sense, Now on Tap allows for a more expedient means to access Google Now, the intelligent personal assistant. It’s like Google’s version of Batman’s Detective Mode in that you’re able to pull relevant information relating contextually to whatever is displayed on screen.

What other features do you hope Google employs or improves upon with this upcoming release?