Google's Android Oreo brings the X factor to Android app development
Google introduced Android 8.0 Oreo at its recent launch event in New York at the former Nabisco factory where Oreo cookies were first produced. Android Oreo is one of the most versatile versions of Android, as it's not only stable and functional but also rich in features.
There are numerous features in Google's new Android Oreo mobile operating system. It includes integrated instant apps, auto-fill, instant boot time, etc. to name a few. These features make Android Oreo the most potent Android OS ever. But what impact it is going to have in Android app development? To understand that, we need to look at its features in depth. So, when you hire an Android app developer, make sure that they know these advanced Oreo features.
1. First and foremost feature is the Autofill framework which saves a lot of time of app developers. This latest feature allows the apps for password management to work with Android applications. It allows the user to use it just the way he utilizes a third-party keyboard.
Google understood the issues users have when it comes to typing information which includes putting email ids along with usernames, addresses as well as passwords. They have to repeat the process across different apps as well as on websites. The Autofill framework offer the ability to the operating system to easily auto-fill the information of the user.
Android app developers can inculcate the autofill feature in their applications which allows easier logging by users. Thus, it certainly saves valuable time and effort of Android developers. This aspect assists in faster and efficient Android application development.
2. Most of the Android developer know about different approaches to develop a splash screen in the Android app. In Android Oreo, the Google has made this process seamless by introducing Splash Screen API.
In Android Oreo, the app developers can easily develop a splash screen. The developer can set a splash screen, especially between high-resource using activities in the Android applications. This is possible due to this new API which improves app development process.
3. In the background, when an Android app runs, it takes up limited resources of smartphones like RAM. It reduces user experience especially when a heavy resource-consuming app such as a games used by the user. To mitigate this problem and improve the user experience, limitations have been imposed. It restricts what apps can perform in the background.
In the previous version of Android, the Android app developed by developers listened to various system broadcasts. Whenever they occur, applications used to wake-up. This impacted the system performance. Android Oreo avoids this impact. It is due to the fact that developers can now use specific receivers as well as a job scheduler. They make sure that app wake up with more efficiency to perform the taskwhile it runs in the background. This revolutionises Android app development as it increases the effectiveness of the apps.
4. When it comes to Notifications, three major changes have been made in Android Oreo. It includes:
- New additional actions in the notification shade.
- Introduction of new notification dots.
- Addition of notification channels. It is a system which is aimed to help the users to effectively manage and organize the notifications.
The notification shade also got various improvements in performance. Few of them are visual changes while few are practical ones. The visual changes include a new color tweak to the media controls. In Android Oreo, media control’s background will change its color as per the album artwork which is different than the previous Android version where album cover image used to be displayed by the media controls which were present in notification shade.
Conclusion
With Android Oreo, Google has introduced a plethora of advanced features. It facilitates the development of improved and efficient apps. Introduction of auto-fill feature reduces the load on the user as it saves him to enter the information repeatedly on different apps. Changes made in notifications and introduction of Splash Screen API has provided newer dimensions for the developers to create appealing apps. Along with these features, otherswill also assist developers to create innovative and better-performing apps. These features will directly affect the Android app development. It will require the developers to update their skills in order to catch-up with the recent changes. Android Oreo has certainly brought X-factor in Android app development.
Read more about the key features of Android Oreo here.