Android N Developer Preview 4 Released for Nexus Devices

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 16 June 2016 17:38 IST

Highlights

The Developer Preview 4 factory images are available.
The new preview build also brings changes to some APIs.
Android N beta program includes a non-Nexus device.

Google has released the latest Android N developer preview for Nexus devices. Android N Developer Preview 4 comes with build NPD56N for all supported devices. Notably, the Developer Preview 4 includes fixes for the issues reported by developers in previous builds, and some minor API changes.

Interested users can opt in to the Android Beta Program via android.com/beta and as before, the beta builds are available for the Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and Android One (General Mobile GM 4G). The new build should already be rolling out to enlisted devices, while factory images are also available. Android Police points out that the new build supports the Sony Xperia Z3 corroborating to an earlier report that said Google may expand the Android N Beta program to non-Nexus devices.

The Android N Developer Preview 4 comes with the final APIs for the upcoming Android N platform. In a report, Android Police says, "the new API level is 24." Google notes that Launcher Shortcuts feature has been deferred to a later release. This means that with Developer Preview 4, the company has removed the Launcher Shortcuts APIs.

Dave Burke, VP of Engineering, Android had at I/O 2016 had revealed a new Easter egg dubbed "Namey McNameface" for Android N and this has finally made it to the Developer Preview 4 build.

Some of the fixes that Google bring with the latest developer preview include fix for the unresponsive Quick settings tiles and notifications at times; fix to enable dismissing Clock notifications; fix for duplication of Bluetooth icon and other status icons, and additional Bluetooth connectivity fixes among others.

The Developer Preview 3 compared to the latest Developer Preview 4 came with a lot of improvements and additions. The Android N Developer Preview 3 brought improved graphics and runtime performance. Some of the new features that were introduced included a new "Quick Switch" feature, "Clear all" button, and an all-new Google Keyboard Themes among others.

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