Google Android L 5.0 release date, screenshots, news and rumours
Everything to expect from the next version of the Android operating system, fresh from Google I/O
A new version of the Android operating
system has been in the works at Google for some time, but was finally
revealed to the public during the keynote speech at June's Google I/O
conference. Android L is a major departure for the mobile OS, with a
completely redesigned interface, more fluid animations, a renewed focus
on improving battery life and, for the first time, compatibility with
64-bit processors.
There's been a lot of announcements following the initial reveal, so we've gathered them all in one place to give you everything you need to know about Android L ahead of its expected release later this year.
At this early stage it's unclear whether Android L is the final name, or Google will reveal its actual title a little closer to launch. If the company sticks with L it's a sign that the operating system is maturing, but we're holding out for something a little sweeter. Google was expected to call Android 4.4 Key Lime Pie, but a tie-in with Nestle saw version 4.4 go by KitKat instead. That leaves the door open for other companies to jump on the bandwagon, with Liquorice Allsorts and Lion Bar being our two favourites, but as these are both UK-centric sweets it's possible Google will revert to a more generic name instead. Lollipop, lemon meringue and Lime Pie are our three most popular choices.
The home screen, lock screen, Quick Settings pull-down menu, main
settings page and even the onscreen navigation buttons have received a
makeover, and Android L will also include new system widgets to match
the design scheme. Finally, every Google app will be redesigned to match
the new look, with some having already been upgraded in time for the
early Developer Preview release following Google I/O.
The notifications system has been completely overhauled for Android L as well. Currently, Android users have to unlock their device to check, respond to or dismiss notifications, but with Android L they will be able to do this from the lock screen. They will appear as a stack of Google Now-like cards, which can be scrolled through rather than flooding the screen. Each one has an in-line preview, giving context.
The recent apps page will become the recent content page, displaying
all your content in one list of Google Now-styled cards. You'll be able
to jump between apps and the web, with links in Google search results
jumping straight from the browser into the relevant part of an
app. Although not strictly built into Android L, Google will also be
giving its mobile webpages and search an overhaul in time for its
release. The Material design will be carried across, along with smooth
animations and a slicker UI.
Google will be updating its stock Android keyboard for Android L, adding more personalisation features and scrapping the individual tiled keys - instead each letter will sit on a flat background, which should make it easier for those with larger fingers and thumbs to type quickly. Also set to arrive are a Do No Disturb mode, which automatically deactivates all notifications and audio during set times, support for Bluetooth 4.1 and a completely redesigned Audio backend with support for USB audio devices.
DirectX 11-level graphics will finally make their way to Android using the Android extension pack. This set of APIs support advanced effects such as tesselation, geometry shaders, texture compression and compute shaders, and have the potential to put mobile devices on par with games consoles and PC games.
A battery saver mode will be included in stock Android for the first time with Android L, after being a common tweak for third party manufacturers. It will activate automatically when your battery drops below a certain percentage, downclocking the CPU, disabling extra features like location reporting and dimming the display. Google says a Nexus 5 running Android L gets around 90 minutes of extra use over the course of a typical day, without actually changing how a customer uses their phone.
There's no need to install apps to an Android Wear device; if an app
works with Android Wear, it will automatically install to your wearable
when you install the mobile app on your smartphone. When a mobile app
updates, the Wear version will update too, meaning no separate app store
and no need to juggle multiple apps as with the limited memory Pebble.
The app selection is currently very limited, with a few built-in
abilities such as music playback control, weather reports and custom
watch faces - selected by pressing and holding on the default watch
face. One of the best apps currently supported is Google's own Maps,
which includes turn navigation when walking to a destination.
The best news is that you can buy one right now from the Google Play
Store, ahead of Android L's full release, although the choice is
currently limited to the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live. Unfortunately
for circular screen fans, Motorola's Moto 360 won't be launching until later this year.
There's been a lot of announcements following the initial reveal, so we've gathered them all in one place to give you everything you need to know about Android L ahead of its expected release later this year.
Android L
Android L was the main event at Google I/O, even if Sundar Pichai avoided giving it a sweet-sounding name. Google has referred to each version of Android by a sweet-flavoured codename based on increasing letters of the alphabet; the original 1.0 version was Apple Pie, followed by Banana bread, Cupcake and Donut as versions 1.1, 1.5 and 1.6. Version 2.0 introduced the world to Eclair, while 2.2 arrived as Froyo. Gingerbread referred to 2.3 and Honeycomb was 3.0, the first version designed with specific support for tablet devices. Android 4.0 was also known as Ice Cream Sandwich and versions 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 were all known as Jelly Bean.At this early stage it's unclear whether Android L is the final name, or Google will reveal its actual title a little closer to launch. If the company sticks with L it's a sign that the operating system is maturing, but we're holding out for something a little sweeter. Google was expected to call Android 4.4 Key Lime Pie, but a tie-in with Nestle saw version 4.4 go by KitKat instead. That leaves the door open for other companies to jump on the bandwagon, with Liquorice Allsorts and Lion Bar being our two favourites, but as these are both UK-centric sweets it's possible Google will revert to a more generic name instead. Lollipop, lemon meringue and Lime Pie are our three most popular choices.
Material Design
Android L reportedly has over 5,000 new APIs ticking away behind the scenes, but the most obvious changes will always be the visual ones. The new Material design scheme is set to appear on every Google platform, not just Android, but it will look best on smartphones and tablets. Apparently Google drew inspiration from pens and inks, with every icon and user interface element casting an accurate shadow to give a sense of depth. Everything animates as you touch it, with objects flying into view and tapped icons rippling like puddles.
The notifications system has been completely overhauled for Android L as well. Currently, Android users have to unlock their device to check, respond to or dismiss notifications, but with Android L they will be able to do this from the lock screen. They will appear as a stack of Google Now-like cards, which can be scrolled through rather than flooding the screen. Each one has an in-line preview, giving context.
Features
Android L isn't all about looks; it will also include a new Personalised Unlocking mode. Essentially it makes your smartphone or tablet search for familiar Bluetooth gadgets, Wi-Fi networks, locations and even voice imprints to deactivate any lockscreen protections, letting you jump straight into your phone when it knows you're nearby. If the device can't detect any of these metrics, anyone trying to use it will be presented with the standard lockscreen.
Google will be updating its stock Android keyboard for Android L, adding more personalisation features and scrapping the individual tiled keys - instead each letter will sit on a flat background, which should make it easier for those with larger fingers and thumbs to type quickly. Also set to arrive are a Do No Disturb mode, which automatically deactivates all notifications and audio during set times, support for Bluetooth 4.1 and a completely redesigned Audio backend with support for USB audio devices.
Performance
Android L should arrive with plenty of performance improvements as well as visual changes, which should help speed up existing phones as well as make the most of new hardware. The biggest back-end change is the move from the Dalvik runtime to ART. Part of the operating system at a basic level, the ART runtime supports ARM, x86 and MiPS instructions, and a mix of AOT, JIT and interpreted code - essentially Android now speaks a lot more languages and will work on more CPUs than its predecessor. This alone could improve performance by as much as twofold over Dalvik, without developers mking any code adjustments.DirectX 11-level graphics will finally make their way to Android using the Android extension pack. This set of APIs support advanced effects such as tesselation, geometry shaders, texture compression and compute shaders, and have the potential to put mobile devices on par with games consoles and PC games.
Battery life
Google has concentrated on improving battery life in Android L with Project Volta. Similar to how Jelly Bean's Project Butter was an effort to make animations feel smoother and more responsive, Project Volta includes a new battery historian to better visualise batter discharge, helping users work out what a device was doing at any given point in a battery cycle to find out which apps are draining the most power.A battery saver mode will be included in stock Android for the first time with Android L, after being a common tweak for third party manufacturers. It will activate automatically when your battery drops below a certain percentage, downclocking the CPU, disabling extra features like location reporting and dimming the display. Google says a Nexus 5 running Android L gets around 90 minutes of extra use over the course of a typical day, without actually changing how a customer uses their phone.
Android Wear
Although Android Wear is an entirely separate platform to Android L, it forms an integral part of the mobile operating system. Naturally it has the same Material design, with matching colours, icons, fonts and animations to Android L. Notifications form the heart of the operating system, appearing as cards which can be swiped through as they appear, swiped away to dismiss and double-tapped to interact with. Notifcations are synchronised with a paired smartphone, so when you dismiss one on an Android Wear device is also disappears from your handset. A Do Not Disturb mode can be acitvated with a single downwards swipe from the top of the screen, for when you don't want notifications to bother you.
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