In Google’s Android-candy Universe, “M” Is For Marshmallow

at some point, in a museum, there shall be an exhibit of all the statues representing the entire totally different versions and flavors of Android. the most recent — Android 6.zero, or “M” — is being known as “Marshmallow.” The official SDK is now available for Android builders.

When Google introduced “M” at its I/O developer convention earlier this summer season, the replace promised (and possibly now can provide) a spread of major and minor enhancements for builders and users. for example, it offers Android owners finer control over app permissions — what telephone options (e.g., vicinity) your apps can get admission to.

any other function known as “Doze” will preserve energy when the cellphone is at rest or in standby mode, extending battery life. Fingerprint authentication is being standardized in M. Most Android devices and apps don’t currently utilize it, however so one can trade with the following spherical of hardware releases.

the most instant and obvious use case for biometric authentication is Android Pay, Google’s Apple Pay competitor and the successor to Google pockets, which lives on in diminished kind as a peer-to-peer payments software. Samsung, the prime Android OEM, has its own initiative known as, naturally, Samsung Pay, so that it will directly compete with Android Pay for the hearts and minds of Android customers. Samsung Pay doesn’t require an NFC-enabled POS terminal to work and so can be utilized rather more commonly on the existing payments infrastructure.

Marshmallow also introduces Google Now on faucet, an increased and more suitable version of Google Now, which allows, amongst other things, contextual search and more fluid navigation between apps. Google updated its iOS app to allow a narrower model of those capabilities.

Most recent Nexus consumers and choose other Android house owners will gain close to-term get admission to to Android 6.zero when the OS update rolls out later this fall. Others shall be on the mercy of their carriers.

in regards to the writer

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a private blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and actual-world shopper conduct. he is additionally VP of strategy and Insights for the native Search affiliation. follow him on Twitter or to find him at Google+.

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