The newest operating mobile system of Google took another step forward with the release of Thursday in the third beta of Android 16. This brings it to a historic moment of “platform stability”, which means that his app confrontation behaviors will not change, and its APIs are set.
However, it does not offer many new features. Google release notes only describe two changes to improve access – one for your ears and the other for your eyes – plus a first look at a future security improvement.
Android 16 now supports Bluetooth auracast, a wireless audio standard that allows one or more devices to be allocated to a close source of sound as if it were a hot Wi-Fi point. Google posting about this feature describes it as a way to help you allocate hearing aids into audio broadcasting, but technology has wider applications.
When demonstrating an early auracast version at MWC 2023, use cases involved choosing a channel to hear among all the games that appear on TV in a sports bar and the audio sharing of a film among many listeners.
Other Android Access Improvement 16 addresses users with damaged vision: a outline-text option you can call to display the text in dialog boxes and other controls within opposite boxes.
The option to the right may mean less insults. (Credit: Google)
Meanwhile, anxious developers to prove security features now have a chance to try the local network protection, which “gives users more control over which applications can access the equipment in their local network”. (Today, giving an app permit to access the Internet also allows it to chat with the equipment on your local network.) Google plans to send it to “a large big Android release”.
Release notes also advise developers to check how their applications work with other Android 16 features wrapped in previous omissions, such as new health and fitness permits and expanded support for larger screen equipment.
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This third beta follows a second beta in February, a first beta in January, and the development of the developer in December and November. This release calendar suggests a final release or at least a public showcase of Android 16 on Google I/O, which occurs May 20-21 in Mountain View, California.
This would be almost five months ago of the year than the release of Android last 15 October; Google says he is raising this schedule to better coordinate with new Smartphone sellers hardware presentations.
Thursday’s release is available through Google Beta Android program and open to Google Pixel devices ranging from 2021’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro Pixel 9. This allows individual users of those phones, compared to developers, try this beta now. As we said the last time, if you do it and it makes a mess of your device, please don’t.
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About Rob Pegoraro
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