Google is
going to take the wraps off of Android N this coming spring but it’s possible that the newest version of Google’s mobile operating system will remove a longtime feature: The app drawer.
In case you’re not familiar with the
app drawer, it’s the icon on the bottom of
your Android device’s display that you can
click to access all the applications on your device, not just the ones that are
on your home screen.
Getting
to the official video, the Google Maps Twitter handle may just have given the
world the first look at Android N. In a video shared last week detailing new
features of Google Maps, the search giant shows what appears to be a Nexus 6P
smartphone that's missing an app drawer on its home screen. Instead, the Nexus
6P's home screen in the video shows the Dialler, Contacts, and Camera apps.
Google Maps Tweet :
Run Forrest
Run! Or walk, or drive, or bike. #MapsAtTheMovies
https://t.co/GocsZtDx9Lhttps://t.co/4iOFYbDkl0
— Google Maps (@googlemaps)
February 26, 2016
If this
turns out to be true, it would mean Google is moving Android closer to Apple's
way of doing things. The
iPhone has always laid out its apps across multiple home screens, with users
free to move them around as they like.
AndroidPolice has shared a few mock-up screenshots of Android N showing tweaks in
notifications tab as well as quick settings panel. According to the shared
mock-up screenshots claimed to be from Android N, Google's next Android OS
version will have more than just cosmetic changes.
The
screenshot showing notifications tab shows more details while quick settings
panel will add an edit tab. The app icons seen in mock-up images are smaller
than the current version.
One of
the notable changes seen is that the quick settings as well as notifications
tab now span full width instead of half of the screen that shows up currently.
Another
notable addition seen is the quick settings toggles visible at the top of the
notifications pane. Google's new approach to show quick settings toggles in
notifications tab seems to be inspired from other Android-based skins preloaded
by OEMs. One of the screenshots show notifications tab including toggles for
Wi-Fi, network status, battery, do not disturb, flashlight, and an additional
drop down button. On tapping the drop down button opens the quick settings
panel showing all the options.
An edit
button is also seen at the bottom of the quick settings panel making it easier
for users to make any changes to the toggles.
It's
worth mentioning that the spotted screenshots or the shared video claimed to be
from Android N may be early version of the OS and we may see a lot of changes
in the final build.
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