Shulou(Shulou.com)05/31 Report--

­(original title: Google launches Android Q Beta 1)

According to foreign media reports, Google today released a new operating system Android Q Beta 1, which features enhanced privacy and security functions, enhanced support for collapsible screens, new API interfaces, new media codecs, new camera functions, scalable neural network API (NNAPI), support for graphics API Vulkan 1.1, and faster application startup.

­developers can currently download from google.com/android/beta. It includes a preview version of the software development kit (SDK), which provides developers with system images of Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, as well as Google's official Android simulator.

­this is the fourth consecutive year that Google released a developer preview of its new Android operating system in March after Android N (later named Android Nougat), Android O (Android Oreo) and Android P (Android Pie). Android Q Beta 1 is not only a developer preview, but also a beta version of this new operating system. This shows that not only developers can use Android Q, but also ordinary users can try it. As before, the developer's preview version of the operating system is named Android Q, after which Google chooses a word that begins with Q as the operating system name.

­in the past few years, Google has often waited until the release of a second developer preview to apply a new operating system on more phones, which is likely to remain the same. However, Android Q Beta 1 supports more models of Pixel smartphones than its predecessors.

The brightest feature of ­Android P's developer preview is its support for on-screen displays such as bangs. Also in terms of adapting to foldable devices, the first developer preview of Android Q is also "approachable". Google released support for foldable devices as early as November last year.

The main features of ­Android Q developer Preview are as follows: enhanced privacy and security, enhanced support for collapsible screen, new API interface, new media codec, new camera function, scalable neural network API (NNAPI), support for graphics API Vulkan 1.1, and faster application launch speed.

­Android Q developer preview feature

­device location: enables the user to control when the application can obtain location information, including when the application does not use location information. The user can set the location information that the application cannot use, and can choose to use its location information only when the application is running or running in the background.

­Storage: Android Q developer Preview provides more control over access to shared files. Users will be able to control application access to photos, videos, and audio sets through permissions. The application must use the system file selector for data download, which allows the user to decide which download files the application can access. Developers must also change the way applications use shared areas on external storage.

­running in the background: reduce interference such as applications jumping out unexpectedly and occupying the screen. The application will be prohibited from starting the Activity component in the background. Application developers can quickly attract users' attention through high-priority notifications or full-screen images, such as incoming calls or alarm applications.

­user data ID:Android Q developer Preview restricts access to non-resettable device identifiers, including device IMEI, serial number, and similar identifiers. By default, Android Q also randomly assigns the MAC address of the device when connecting to different Wi-Fi networks.

­support for collapsible screens: applications will be able to better adapt to collapsible screens and other large screen devices.

­shared shortcuts: under the new operating system, applications can share shortcuts faster with other applications, and users can jump directly to another application to share content faster.

­Settings panel: the ability to display key system settings directly above and below the application. The new settings panel API uses the slice feature introduced in Android 9 Pie to provide users with a floating UI with relevant system settings such as Wi-Fi, aircraft mode, mobile data, NFC, and audio volume. Users do not need to leave the application for system setup.

­connection permissions, privacy, and security: for Bluetooth, cellular, and Wi-Fi connections, FINE location permissions are required to improve the security of devices connecting to home, work, and open networks.

­improved point-to-point (peer-to-peer) and Internet connectivity: the Wi-Fi stack has been reconfigured to improve privacy, performance, and common use cases such as managing Internet of things devices and recommending Internet connections. Android Q will handle the Wi-Fi scan itself, display matching networks in the Wi-Fi selection list, and connect based on history within the range of those networks.

­Wi-Fi performance mode: high-performance and low-latency modes allow developers to call appropriate functions to request adaptive Wi-Fi. Google hopes these features will help in use cases such as real-time games, active voice calls, and so on.

­support for dynamic depth images: applications can request dynamic depth images that contain a JPEG, depth-related XMP metadata, and depth and confidence maps embedded in the same file. This allows developers to support use cases such as 3D images and AR photography. Dynamic depth will be an open image format in the Android ecosystem.

­New audio and video codec: support open source video codec AV1, audio codec Opus and HDR10+.

­Native MIDI API: this API allows applications that perform audio processing in a C++ environment to communicate with MIDI devices through NDK. It allows MIDI data to be retrieved in audio callbacks using non-blocking reads, thereby supporting low-latency processing of MIDI messages (sample application source code).

­support for Vulkan native rendering engine ANGLE: support for rendering engine ANGLE enables applications and games that apply OpenGL ES to take advantage of the performance and stability of Vulkan, with a high degree of freedom and openness.

­Vulkan extension: Google is working with device manufacturer partners to make all 64-bit devices running Android Q or higher compatible with Vulkan 1.1. As a result, Vulkan will become the unified high-performance graphics API used by applications and games.

­Neural Network API 1.2: this includes 60 new projects, including ARGMAX, ARGMIN, quantitative LSTM, and a series of performance optimizations. Google is working with hardware vendors and mainstream machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow to optimize support for NNAPI 1.2.

­ART performance: continue to improve the application running mode to help applications start faster, consume less memory, and help applications run better on low-end devices.

­support for TLS 1.3 is added and enabled by default for all TLS connections. Google said its benchmark showed that TLS 1.3 could establish secure connections faster than TLS 1.2, with speeds of up to 40 per cent.

­more compatibility through public API: Google restricts access to more non-SDK interfaces and requires developers to use public interfaces.

­Test plan

The goal of ­Android Q's first developer preview is to get early adopters and developers to start exploring new features and API of the application, test compatibility, and give feedback before Google releases more details of the operating system in May 2019. Google released five developer previews last year. This year, Google plans to release six beta operating systems. (Bing Bing)

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