Android M Feature

Android M Feature: Google Already Tweaked Preview 1’s Odd App Drawer

Kellen July 9, 2015 40

We are just now diving into the new Android M Preview 2 that was released moments ago, but already, some things are standing out that have been tweaked. Everyone remember the vertically scrolling, alphabet-heavy app drawer that was included in Preview 1?...

Android M Feature: Quickly Uninstall Apps From Home Screens

Kellen June 3, 2015 71

This may seem like an incredibly minor change for Android M, one that probably doesn't really deserve a write-up, but dammit, I appreciate the hell out of it. For far too long have I found myself annoyed at having to go find an app in the app drawer to then ...

Android M Feature: “Peeking” is the New Name for Heads-Up Notifications

Kellen June 2, 2015 33

A good word to describe Android M would be "control." Android M may not give users the big, sweeping UI changes and feature introductions of Lollipop, yet instead focuses on giving users more control over their phones. From controlling app permissions to the...

Android M Feature: Light Colored Status Bar Could Mean Dark Notification Icons in Apps

Kellen June 1, 2015 23

I know I said we were done with the Android M features for today, but this one just popped up courtesy of Googler Roman Nurik. According to a post of his over on Google+, in Android M, we could see things like notification and system status icons flip from...

Android M Feature: Google Added a Split Keyboard for Tablets

Kellen June 1, 2015 15

This last Android M feature for today isn't exactly a big one, but for tablet owners, it could come in handy depending on how you like to hold your big-screened device and tap out messages or emails. In Android M, Google appears to be ready to introduce a...

Android M Feature: Apps Manager is Simpler, Yet Insanely More Powerful

Kellen June 1, 2015 24

One of those back-end sets of changes in Android M that I think you are going to really love has to do with the new App Manager or "Apps" section in Settings. In previous versions of Android, this section included three columns of "Downloaded," "Running," and...

Android M Feature: New Vertically Scrolling App Drawer and Widget Picker are Greatly Improved

Kellen June 1, 2015 75

If you flash the Android M developer preview images (our tour!) on the Nexus 5, 6, or 9, one of the first things you will undoubtedly notice is the new app drawer. With a change in direction of how it scrolls, you might be thrown off at first, but trust me, it...

Android M Feature: Do Not Disturb Mode Returns With Automatic Rules, Repeat Caller Settings

Kellen June 1, 2015 18

In the Android L developer preview, Google introduced a Do Not Disturb to Android for the first time, then randomly changed its name to "Interruptions" when it went stable as Lollipop. "Interruptions" never really made much sense as an adoptable or...