Google’s Android M Developer Preview was announced and released earlier this year; this is essentially a beta test for the next version of Android that will replace 5.1 Lollipop this fall. With Android M, Google has promised an update to beta testing, and today we got some bad news about version 3. A Google rep this afternoon approved Android M Developer Preview 3 is coming very soon, but it won’t be here in July as promised. Here are a few things Android owners should know.
At Google’s annual I/O developer event on May 28, the company announced the next version of Android, codenamed Android M. It aimed to improve the Lollipop experience, adding more features and better security, as well as a new “Doze” battery saver feature. USB Type-C support, automatic app backups and more. Google promised an update to the developer preview, but the 3rd update has been delayed.
The Android M Developer Preview 2 update arrived earlier this month, and with it, Google has confirmed tons of details. They announced that the 3rd and “final” update will be released in July, and then the official Android M release date is Q3 this fall. Read on for a few things you need to know.
With Android M, Google aims to further improve the overall experience of Android 5.1 Lollipop. The original developer preview was stable enough to use, but was missing key features like Android Now on Tap, Android Pay, fingerprint security support, and more. Most of these won’t be here until the official release, but there are still many additional features and improvements to be made before the actual release this fall.
Android M Preview 2 had a few major changes and improvements, but it was still largely a “beta test” or preview of the software. Features are missing, some are broken, and performance is great most of the time, but there are a few things that need fixing.
Unlike last year’s Android 5.0 Lollipop, which was Google’s first early access developer preview, this year Google promised an update for testing. So multiple beta versions will come as Android M matures and is ready for mass release. However, the process did not go as smoothly as many expected. The plan was a new release every month. May, June and July.
Instead we got the June update a few days before July and now the July update won’t be here until August. This may mean that the actual version might be a bit of a pullback as well, but we can’t be sure of that. Here are five things you should know.
