03/13/2016 | 00:22 Analytics
Get the most out of your Android 6.0 device
Android 6.0 Marshmallow arrived last October, but if you're like most Android users, it's probably pretty new to you. You may not even have received this update yet.
Whether you're new to Android 6.0 or a veteran, there are plenty of things to learn about this OS. Read these tips and find out what new tricks you can teach your Android phone or tablet.
Please note that these tips are written specifically for basic Google Android 6.0. Many device manufacturers modify the operating system, adding their own features and changing the interface, which may cause some elements to look different or not be available at all on some devices.
1. Take full advantage of Now on Tap
One of Marshmallow's most promising features is Now on Tap, an enhanced version of Google's virtual assistant that provides contextual information tied to what's currently on your screen. To use it, simply press and hold the Home button.
Now on Tap offers contextual information.
The Now on Tap feature does some really useful things, and its powers have continued to expand since the release of Marshmallow. If you enable this feature while you have an airline flight number on screen, say in a text message, Now on Tap will show you the status of the flight without forcing you to switch between apps or interrupt your current task. If you turn it on while looking at the tracking number of an online purchase, the system will show you the current delivery status.
You can also use Now on Tap to find a store's location or address, restaurant information and reviews, or movie reviews and screenings. As long as the item is mentioned on the screen, pressing and holding the Home button will provide contextual information.
2. Or turn Tap off completely
With all the potential of Tap, the truth is that this feature is only useful in a relatively limited number of scenarios. For some, it just isn't versatile enough to justify its placement on the Home button - especially since previous versions of Android reserved it for universal quick access to the full Google Now interface.
The good news is that Now on Tap is now easy to turn off. And once you turn it off, pressing and holding the Home button will bring up Google Now from anywhere on the system.
To disable Now on Tap, go to your system settings section. Select "Search & Now" and then "Now on Tap" and change the position of the switch. If you decide to give Tap a second chance at some point in the future, simply repeat these steps and flip the toggle.
3. Quick Settings panel
Want to change the shortcuts that appear in your device's Quick Settings panel (a drop-down menu with links to things like toggle Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and enable airplane mode)? In Android 6.0 you can do this.
The power is hidden in a new feature called System UI Tuner. To activate it, first swipe down twice from the top of the screen (or swipe down once with two fingers) to open the quick settings panel. Press and hold the gear icon in the top right corner until it starts spinning, then release and you'll see a message confirming that System UI Tuner is enabled and waiting for your command.
Now just follow the main system settings and scroll down the entire list to the bottom. Click on the "System UI Tuner" item that appears and select.
System UI Tuner allows you to customize the Android quick settings panel.
4. Fine tune
If you're feeling particularly advanced, try a third-party app called Custom Quick Settings. It goes even further than the built-in Marshmallow tool and allows you to add all sorts of custom shortcuts to the Quick Settings panel.
Just be aware: the app is not exactly user friendly. Continue only if you have the patience and desire for the next level of customization.
5. Adjust the volume
Remember how inconvenient it is to change the volume in Android 5.0? It's a happy moment: it's fixed in Marshmallow. Now you can access all system volume controls - for ringtone and notifications, music and alarms - anytime, no matter what you're doing.
The first time you press the volume control (increase or decrease), Marshmallow will show what is most relevant to the current activity - for example, if you are listening to music, it will raise the music volume slider. If you want to adjust the volume for another function, simply click on the down arrow on the right side of the volume slider. This will bring up additional volume controls and there you can adjust whatever you need.
The arrow in the Android 6.0 volume bar lets you access all of the system's volume sliders.
6. Do not disturb mode
As part of Android Marshmallow's volume overhaul, a much more convenient Do Not Disturb mode has been introduced.
If you want to be left alone for a while, just click on "Do Not Disturb" in the Quick Settings panel. You can turn off all sounds and vibrations indefinitely, or for a set amount of time, or turn off everything except alarms or everything except high priority notifications.
7. An easy way to turn on silent mode
If you don't want to think about the options and just need to quickly mute your phone, hold down the volume key until the device starts showing the vibration icon, then release and press the button one more time.
8. Let the phone mute itself
You can let your phone go quiet when you know you'll be busy, or just sleep. It's not called a smartphone for nothing!
Take advantage of Android 6.0's smart feature by going to the "Sound & notification" system settings section and tapping on the line that says "Do not disturb". There, Marshmallow has the ability to create different rules for when your phone will automatically go into silent mode - based on factors such as the day and time, or the presence of specific types of active calendar events.
The device can automatically mute itself at certain times of the day or when certain events occur.
9. Set Priorities
Sometimes you don't want to react to every sound your smartphone makes, but you want to make sure that some important notifications can still grab your attention. This is where Android 6.0's notification priority system comes into play.
Before you can use it, you need to set up this feature the way you want. Start by going to the Do Not Disturb menu under Sound and Notifications in System Preferences, and then clicking on the line that says "Priority only allows".
There you will find a list of notification types that you can prioritize - reminders, events, and certain types of calls or messages. You can even let the caller get through if they call you twice within a 15-minute time frame.
Once you've got everything set up, simply turn on Priority Only in Do Not Disturb as described in tip 6 and rest easy knowing you'll only be disturbed for things that matter to you.
10. Control notifications
Another annoyance in Android 5.0 was the use of intrusive and non-functional notifications known as "heads-up" or "peek" notifications. Large map alerts improved things in Android 5.1, but they often don't carry any payload.
With Marshmallow, you can take full control of your notifications and decide for yourself which apps can show those annoying pop-ups and which ones will be restricted by the old-fashioned notification bar.
Go to Sound & Notifications in System Settings and find the line that says "App notifications", then select the app you want to set up from the list. A menu of options will appear, including one to prevent peek notifications, and an option to treat the app as a "priority" so its notifications will always be allowed in Do Not Disturb "Priority Only" mode.
Android 6.0 makes it easy to control the notifications of various apps.
11. Show apps who's in charge
App control in Android 6.0 is easier than ever. Go to the "Apps" section of the system settings and select an application to see all the options.
After tapping on an app, you'll be able to view its exact size and data usage, as well as what types of access it has. You'll also find a detailed overview of memory and battery usage, which can be a useful way to spot programs that are wasting device resources (hint: look closely at Google Photos and Facebook).
12. Customize the text selector
Marshmallow's text selection tool is much easier to use than what we've seen on Android in the past. In fact, there's even more to it than meets the eye: The new text selector opens the door to third-party apps that work in some pretty interesting ways.
Install Google Translate and Wikipedia - two apps are already taking advantage of the new system - then select some text to see how it works. With these two apps, you will find the translation option and encyclopedia information in a small menu that appears next to the selected text (along with "Cut", "Copy", etc.). Choose any option and you'll get the corresponding result in a pop-up window that won't distract you from what you're doing.
Marshmallow's text selection tool can help you get more done with apps like Google Translate.
Android 6.0 was released in 2015, becoming a logical continuation of its predecessor - Android 5, retaining the already familiar and quite successful Material design with minor improvements in the form of adding some animations and redrawing icons. However, all updates and innovations are in the functionality of the new operating system. Although they are not so easily identifiable by eye, the hidden features of Android are very significant in terms of the usability of your gadget. Let's reveal the secrets of Android 6.
Do you want to upgrade to this version? Despite the fact that by the end of 2016 version 6 of Google's proprietary system became the most popular version of Android in the world, not all devices will receive an official software update to this version. You can update your device and get the new features of version 6.0 Marshmallow by simply writing us your device model in the comments, and we will select the most up-to-date methods for updating the software, if possible.
Not all Android secrets of this version are so obvious, so we have prepared a list of the most interesting secrets and tricks for it today.
Hidden features of Android 6
In this article, we will look at the following features:
- uninstall apps on android 6.0
- customizing the quick settings panel
- RAM management
- hidden game android 6
and much more.
Uninstalling apps on Android 6.0
Now you can remove all installed programs from the desktop or application menu by holding your finger on the selected icon. You will see "Remove" or "Uninstall" options at the top of the desktop, or - "Application Information" and "Uninstall" in the application menu.
Customizing the Quick Settings Bar in Android M with System UI Tuner
A convenient and pretty notification bar and quick settings are now not just a set of functions that differ depending on the device, but a customizable feature of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow system. You can easily change any of the quickly available settings using the built-in System UI Tuner.
RAM management
What programs are using all your RAM? Now you can easily deal with this issue! To do this, you need to go to "Settings" - "Memory" - "Used memory". Click on a process to see detailed information about your RAM usage and then click Stop if needed. Self-configuration may take some time.
Doze
Doze is a new handy feature for Android Marshmallow users. If you haven't used your Android smartphone or tablet for a while, the system will automatically put it into hibernation mode (a power-saving operating system mode that allows you to save the contents of RAM to a non-volatile storage device).
Faster performance, higher screen resolutions, lots of background processes running, and improved multitasking all have a detrimental effect on battery life. Manufacturers like Samsung and HTC are building power-saving modes into their flagship models, but this is a feature we'd like to see in pure Android.
However, some exceptions, such as alarms or notifications, will work all the time. According to available information, this feature allows devices with Android 6.0 on board to work up to 30% longer.
When using this mode on the Nexus 6, the duration of the device has increased by almost 2 times, which is undoubtedly an excellent indicator.
Hidden game Android 6
There are few differences from the game of the previous version: marshmallows are now drawn instead of lollipops, and the distance between them is increased so that now the passage of obstacles is simplified to an acceptable level.
Battery saving
The new version of Android added the ability to adjust the battery consumption of each application. You can set Save or Don't Save in Battery Saver for any app. According to the company, this fine-tuning will be useful for those who prefer not to unload individual applications from RAM for the sake of speed, but at the same time make sure that RAM is not loaded at 100%.
Quick text translation
If you select text when entering in any text field, then the pop-up menu (click on 3 dots) will give you the opportunity to translate the selected fragment. The function works if Google Translate is installed on the device, and there is also an active Internet connection.
Quick music search
Good news for music lovers. Now you do not need to download a separate program that will recognize the song you like! With the advent of Android 6.0, users of Nexus devices have been able to use the song recognition service by sound without installing third-party software. It is worth noting that among the supported devices there are very few even modern devices.
If you want to use Google's proprietary music search utility, but the Play Market claims that your device is not compatible, you can download the APK file from this link.
Secrets of Android 6 revealed! Maybe you noticed more hidden features of Android? Share them in the comments.
Unfortunately, due to the large fragmentation, Android devices are extremely slow to update. The announcement of Android 6.0 took place back in October 2015, and by now only 2% of all Android devices have updated to the latest version. If you are a happy owner of such a device, then we will tell you how to fine-tune the system and reveal the full functionality of the system.
Using the Now on Tap Assistant
One of the features of Android 6.0 is the Now on Tap assistant. This assistant from Google is able to independently recognize the information on the screen and give the user appropriate prompts. For example, if you indicate the flight number in the correspondence, Now on Tap will give information about its status, tell you what films are playing in neighboring cinemas, and so on.
How to disable Now on Tap
Some users, especially the older generation, may have a negative attitude towards all sorts of "smart chips", as well as advice from computer assistants. To do this, you can simply disable the Now on Tap feature on Android 6.0. Go to the list of installed applications, find "Google Settings" > "Search & Suggestions" > "Now on Tap" and change the position of the switch. After turning off Now on Tap, long pressing the home key will open the Google Now app, as it did in previous versions of Android.
Customizing the Quick Settings Panel
Android 6.0 allows you to customize the "curtain" with quick system settings. This is done in a special application System UI Tuner. To launch this utility, you need to swipe down twice from the top of the screen, then press and hold your finger on the gear icon. Now you can add the settings you need to the quick settings panel, as well as remove all unnecessary.
Separate volume setting
Previously, the user could only adjust the overall volume level, in Android 6.0 the functionality has become wider. Now, when you press the Volume + or Volume- button on your smartphone or tablet, you will see a volume control window for the current application (for example, to play music if the player is on). The user can also tap on the arrow and adjust the volume for other modes, such as an alarm clock.
Silence mode
Marshmallow has an improved "do not disturb" mode. Each user will be able to independently set the priority for any application in order to receive only the necessary notifications in this mode. It is also possible to switch to the "silence" mode for a certain time by setting the beginning and end of the "quiet" period. To do this, go to the settings, section "Sounds and notifications" and click on the line "Do Not Disturb".
Application priority selection
In order not to miss an important notification, for example, about receiving an email, but at the same time not be distracted by notifications from various games, you can set priorities. Go to device settings, then "Sounds and notifications" and "Do not disturb" > "Only important".
Few people know, but Android 6.0 Marshmallow, in addition to the menu for developers, contains another hidden settings screen- System UI tuner. With it, the user can customize the system interface a little and even start the demo mode.
To activate the System UI Tuner, just pull out the quick settings curtain and hold down the gear that opens the global settings. It will begin to rotate, and after that a notification will appear congratulating you on the addition of a new item, you should look for it in the "System" section.
At entering System UI Tuner a message immediately pops up warning that the options hidden in this menu are not for everyone and activating them can lead to negative consequences. You can’t call these settings extensive, because they have only four items: “Quick settings”, “Status bar”, “Show battery level as a percentage” and “Demonstration”.
The most useful for the user, of course, is the first one, because it allows you to rearrange and add items in the quick settings curtain. The process is extremely simple and self-explanatory, there is also the removal of options. "Status bar" allows you to remove the display of any indicator in this line, and there are a lot of them. The name of the third item speaks for itself, and the fourth one launches a special demo mode of the system. The latter is designed for app browsers who often take screenshots - the time and battery level in it are always the same, and pop-up notifications are disabled.
Judging by the presence of a hidden System UI Tuner, Google engineers are considering giving the user the opportunity deeper customization of the bare Android interface. Apparently, they are aware of a significant lag in this area of their own shell compared to third-party ones, but this does not mean that the company will eventually decide to take such a step.
On May 28, 2015, at the Google I / O conference, the search giant announced Android M, which became available for download just a few hours after the presentation. And less than three months later, on August 17, 2015, the system was renamed to Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Marshmallow).
I wonder if Google has decided to move to a new versioning cycle. The search giant could follow Apple's example of churning out one major version of iOS a year. We do not see much point in this - the number of innovations will not increase in any way, only the approach to assigning an index will change. In other words, in 2016 we can see Android 7.0. But come on, let's see what the new Android 6.0 has to offer:
Android 6.0 - what's new?
So Android 6.0. There is decently new here, although not as much as it was in. There are more than 50 changes in total, but only a few of them are the main ones. Let's go through them.
App permissions
We believe that many of us remember that when installing an application on our smartphone (yes, with Android on board), a message first appears, usually the size of the entire screen, where there are several icons, a lot of inscriptions, and at the bottom right there is a button "Accept » (Accept). Do you know what it is? This is a list of permissions that the application requires in order to work. If you refuse to give them to him, then the program simply does not install.
Security is security, but you also need to work, right? Presumably, this is how Google reasoned when adding new functionality to Android 6.0. Now there will be no list of permissions during installation - instead, messages about individual permissions will appear when they are requested. For example, if the application wants to access GPS for the first time, or wants to use the microphone, camera, and so on. The selected option will be remembered and you will no longer be bombarded with messages, however, in the permission settings they can be changed.
The most interesting thing is that such a thing was made back in . It was called App Ops - this is a special permission manager. It was hidden from users, but a way to enable it was found and described in detail. And then Google simply removed it from the system so that there would be no unnecessary claims.
After all, if you figure it out, how does such a blocking of permissions work? In Android 4.3, if something is blocked, the application, when trying to access the “forbidden fruit”, will not only be “surprised”, but, to put it mildly, will be “stunned”. In other words, there will be an incorrect termination of the application with a possible loss of operational data.
This issue was resolved in Android 6.0. Now, if a program, for example, “knocks” on the Internet, but it is forbidden to do so, then for it everything will be arranged in such a way that there is no connection. Or if the camera, GPS, Bluetooth, etc. not available at the moment. This will show the appropriate error message, but not throw a system exception.
In addition, developers will be able to take into account the new function of the system. That is, they will know if the problem is in the denial of permissions or if something really “fell off and does not work”. This means that if you have blocked something, the application will tell you this: I can’t work, you banned me! And in the case of App Ops and Android 4.3, it was impossible to find out why something was not working - that's why the manager was removed.
In any case, the new feature of Android 6.0 provides even more control over applications, more system security.
Support for fingerprint scanners
A few days before Google I / O 2015, information began to appear that Android 6.0 would include support for fingerprint scanners. This thing is not new at all - in 2013 Motorola and Apple mastered it, then HTC, Samsung and other companies pulled themselves up. However, all the functionality of the fingerprint sensor was programmed by manufacturers, while at the system level it was done only by Apple, although how could it be otherwise?
Now, a special API that allows you to control the fingerprint scanner is built into Android. This means universality for everyone - developers will be able to use fingerprints for authorization in their applications and they will not have to take into account the peculiarities of individual manufacturers - everything will be the same for everyone. After all, if you look, for the same Samsung, the fingerprint scanner works to unlock the device and authorize in several branded applications. Third-party programs simply do not use it. And Xiaomi generally stated that while Android does not have built-in support for fingerprinting, it does not intend to embed a scanner in its smartphones.
In general, now everything will change. True, the funniest thing in the current situation is that there is an API for fingerprint scanners, but the scanners themselves are nowhere to be found. Looking ahead, we will inform you that Android 6.0 is only available on Nexus 5, 6 and 9, and they are deprived of this component. So all this works in theory, and it will be possible to try the new “gadget” in practice no earlier than the release of the new Nexus with a fingerprint scanner.
Doze mode - energy optimization
Do you know that Android 5.0 has solved all the problems with power consumption? Do you know? But now Google is not sure about it. But this feature was presented as one of the main ones: here you have a new one, which launches and executes applications more efficiently, and saves battery power in such a way that it never even dreamed of. In reality, everything was not as good as on paper. And now the second half of 2015 is in the yard, and we are offered a new panacea for the rapid depletion of the battery.
Doze mode will provide energy savings at such a level that wow! In theory, of course. And this theory sounds something like this: the more a smartphone or tablet is in sleep mode, the better. This time, Google intends to put them to sleep even more often. At the same time, so that the user does not miss notifications or calls, the devices will do this when there is no person nearby.
Recall that the Terminator and the Matrix are just around the corner, that is, there are so many sensors in a modern phone that it knows where it is, whether it is moving or not, and whether there are people nearby. Actually, this is the whole idea - if there are no people nearby, then you can “sleep”, or, in other words, all background processes will be turned off, leaving only the most necessary minimum for work.
That is, Doze is activated if you leave your mobile device and go somewhere, or just go to sleep - in this case, the discharge rate will be noticeably reduced. Let's see how it will work in practice, but the idea does not look stupid in any case.
USB Type-C support
The USB Type-C standard or simply USB-C is gradually gaining popularity. Let us briefly recall that it appeared along with the USB 3.1 specification, one of the main features of which was the doubling of the interface bandwidth to 10 Gb / s relative to USB 3.0. Well, USB Type-C is a connection type that involves a new connector that can be the same on all devices.
Of course, the ability to connect the cable to either side is not the main feature of USB Type-C. In addition, it adds many additional features, including advanced charging capabilities, according to the USB Power Delivery 2.0 specification. In particular, we are talking about a current strength of 1.5 and 3.0 A at a voltage of 5 V.
Android 6.0, you guessed it, supports USB Type-C, and with it, advanced charging modes. No, we're not only talking about increased current, which gives an increase in charging speed, but also about things like recharging other devices. We are talking about the fact that it will be possible to charge phones, smartphones and tablets from each other: a phone from a tablet, a smartphone from a tablet, and even a tablet from a smartphone, as well as other “perverted” options. It is unlikely that this function will be in demand everywhere and by everyone, but in certain situations it will be useful.
In addition, MIDI keyboards can be connected to devices running Android 6.0 and with a USB Type-C connector. This will further expand the multimedia component of Android.
Google Now search in apps
This feature is actually called "Google Now on Tap" and is called when you hold down the Home button for a long time. Once launched, Google Now will "scan" what's on the screen and offer a card with additional information.
The idea is the following. Let's say you are discussing with someone a movie or a new music album, a place, and so on. The context from your message screen is obvious and Google Now can understand it. Holding the Home button for a long time will cause this same context to be recognized and, according to it, a card with information will be offered: information about the movie from the IMDb database, information about the country, information about the album, and so on.
Moreover, the possibilities of Google Now on Tap are much wider - information can be drawn not only from Google search, but also from installed applications. The main thing here is that their developers implement the appropriate functionality - they provide the ability to index data within programs.
In other words, Google Now on Tap is a kind of intelligent assistant that works in any application and gives useful tips if they are needed. Theoretically, nothing should interfere with its functioning, unless the developer makes a completely atypical application interface.
Chrome Custom Tabs
Any developer can embed a browser in their Android app. For this, a corresponding component has been created that provides the operation of the web page rendering engine inside your application. But there is one unpleasant moment - all this has nothing to do with the main system browser. That is, your entered passwords, search history, saved cookies, and so on are not available there.
Now this problem can be solved by embedding a "chunk" of the Chrome browser into your application. In fact, the functionality will remain the same, but you won’t have to re-enter passwords, and sites will remember you.
At the same time, another interesting feature has been added - opening links in applications. Let's say you click on a link to a page on Facebook, Twitter, VKontakte, and the like, and then you will be prompted to open it in the appropriate client, if you have it installed.
New clipboard panel
Using the clipboard, thus "copy-paste", in Android is not always easy. If anyone remembers, then, having selected a piece of text, a panel appears on top with options to copy, paste, cut, select all, and the like. Everything would be fine, but realizing that you need to look up the screen, especially on a large display, does not always work right away.
In Android 6.0, the corresponding panel will now be displayed next to the selected text. This is already implemented in iOS and, surprise surprise, Windows Phone. Google has now caught up with the competition, although the new panel is not working very well so far.
Simplified volume control
Android 5.0 is so clever with the volume control, wow! If before it, bringing the volume to a minimum, the sound was first turned off, and vibration was turned off with another press of the button, then there was no completely “quiet” mode in the Pyaterochka. Instead, it was proposed to choose one of three options: leave vibration for all notifications, for priority ones, or still be silent until other orders.
Android 6.0 brings back the previous functionality - you can “mute” your smartphone or tablet by pressing the volume down button. But, if necessary, you can configure which events and notifications will be heard.
Updated application list
The list of applications in Android 5 has become so light, with a white background. A lot of people didn't like it, by the way. Think Android 6.0 has gone dark? Not at all, but new opportunities have appeared here.
First of all, the old way of rewinding applications has returned - vertical paging, instead of horizontal. Moreover, the letters of the alphabet are now displayed on the left for a more visual grouping. We do not rule out that this is not the final version of the design.
A search field for applications appeared at the very top, and right below it - the four most frequently used programs. At first glance, it looks comfortable.
Save backups to Google Drive
One of the nicest features of the iPhone and iPad is the ability to back up all your data to the iCloud cloud. This operation allows you to protect all information, settings and personal data from loss, and at the same time allows you to quickly and painlessly restore everything. Both on the original device and on the other.
And now something like this will appear in Android 6.0. Restoring contacts and apps through a Google account has been possible for a long time, but now we are talking about a full backup of device data. Well, almost completely. Temporary "heavy" application files necessary for their operation will not be saved - why not litter your servers with such garbage! And so the developers will even be able to indicate what needs to be saved, and what is of no use for recovery.
All this is recorded in Google Drive. And, best of all, such a “backup” will not affect the final available capacity of your cloud storage in any way - everything will be placed in a separate hidden folder.
Multi-window mode on tablets
This has been talked about for a long time. Google is clearly not indifferent to the Multi Window mode introduced by Samsung on the Galaxy Note II in 2012. In Android 6.0, the first sprouts of this functionality began to be seen at the system level, and not from the manufacturer of smartphones and tablets. True, there it is hidden very deeply and is activated by adding the latest version of TWRP to the firmware. Also, this only works on the Nexus 9 tablet.
Google's version splits the screen into quadrants - you can download from 1 to 4 applications at once. With one, everything is clear. Two pieces are located next to each other, dividing the desktop vertically or horizontally. When opening three programs, the screen is divided in half: one application is loaded in one half, and the other two in the second half. Well, with the four, everything is already clear - each application is allocated its own "square".
Opening occurs including from the task manager. All this is still working poorly and terribly buggy, so we do not exclude the possibility of this feature not being available in the final version of Android 6.0.
Offline Google Maps and YouTube
This change affects more the Google Maps and YouTube apps themselves than Android 6.0, but still. So, once again, Google maps will get an offline mode. However, this time it will be truly real! In other words, it will be possible to search for a saved map fragment, all layers will work on it, and so on - before that, such a map could only be viewed and that's it.
With YouTube, the situation is also interesting. Clips can be saved to your device and viewed later. True, the viewing time is fixed for 48 hours - after they will be deleted.
We highlighted Android Pay as a subsection of a higher-level article for a reason. Formally, this payment system was introduced along with Android 6.0, but it will work on all devices equipped with NFC chips and with. The main thing here is that developers and stores support the Google initiative.
However, the company has already started negotiating with financial institutions, shops, and so on - work has been promised in at least 700,000 points. True, all of them are still located mainly in the United States, however, the future belongs to such contactless payments, so "there will be a holiday on our street."
I must say that Android Pay is not the first Google payment system. Previously, Google Wallet (“Google Wallet”) was already introduced, but it did not become particularly popular. And no, the new implementation is not just a rename. Android Pay is made on the same principle as Apple Pay. In particular, by linking a bank card to a payment system, its data will not be transferred to the person to whom you pay for the purchase of goods or services. Google, as they say, will settle all the formalities for payment with the bank and the store.
However, Google Wallet is not closed yet. For a while, the old system will work, although we believe that sooner or later the search giant will “pull” everyone to Android Pay.
By the way, the isolation of Android Pay from Android 6.0 is also confirmed by the fact that the payment system has been operating since the summer of 2015, and the new version of the OS will appear no earlier than autumn.
How to install Android 6.0
Android 6.0 became available almost immediately after the presentation for Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player. Other "current nexuses", in particular the Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Nexus 7, can also get a new system, but only in the final version. That is, you can only test it on the latest Nexus devices.
In connection with this circumstance, the question arises, how to install Android 6.0 on these Nexus? In principle, it is not very difficult. We have prepared a short guide for this.
- Download Android 6.0 for Nexus 5, Nexus 6 or Nexus 9 from the corresponding page.
- Enable USB Debugging Mode in Settings: Tap About seven times, confirm that you want to enable Developer Mode, and in the new Settings section, enable USB Debugging.
- At the command prompt, in the folder with the ADB driver, type the following command: adb reboot bootloader .
- After confirming the operation, run the following line: fastboot oem unlock .
- Next, enter a few more commands:
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash cache cache.img
After flashing, the phone or tablet will reboot and the new version of Android will be available for use.
And the best part is that Android 6.0 will be released for the Galaxy S6, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6 Duos, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 4 Duos, Galaxy Note edge, Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Tab A. Samsung has already announced that.
Android 6.0 release date
We have announced the release date of Android 6.0 above more than once - the fall of 2015. Presumably, it will happen exactly one year after the release of Android 5, that is, somewhere in October.
As mentioned earlier, Android 6.0 will initially be released for Nexus 5, 6, 9 and Player. Later, it is possible that Nexus 4, 7 and 10 will join them. In any case, I would like to believe in it. Well, as for the rest of smartphones and tablets, everything will be as usual here. And usually things are so that Samsung updates first of all the flagships, and only after that some of the cheaper devices. Updates are often released for top-end handsets from HTC, LG, Sony and other A-brands. Well, the rest, less famous companies, are often delayed even with the release of new devices with the current version of the OS.
Output
The new features of Android 6.0 look useful and necessary. Once again, power consumption has been optimized, normal control over application permissions has finally appeared, a multi-window mode can potentially appear, and so on.
However, all this does not draw on the major version of Android 6.0. The level of change is about the same as between Android 4.0 and 4.1. In other words, we were waiting for the release of Android 5.2, but Google decided otherwise. The question is, what's next - is Android 7.0 really going to be next? What do you think? Express your opinion in the comments. Also, tell me if you like Android 6.0?
