Looks like Google is playing around with ‘Alphabets’ quite a lot these days. And as a part of that playfulness, Android’s next official update (Android M) just got a name : Marshmallow.
This fresh new code, as you must remember, was announced by the search giant in its May held I/O conference. However, its name was kept under wraps and was christened, on a temporary basis, as Android M.
So whats with the name you ask ? Well, as has been the case, there is neither any justification from Google’s end, nor we are going to dice into it. The company though typically names its software updates alphabetically and after sweets, so there’s that. (Jellybean, Lollipop, Kitkat)
However, it isn’t just the nomenclature which Google is providing us with. The search giant is now letting a lot of other details about its latest piece of software (even though 40% Android devices still run a predecessor of Marshmallow’s predecessor), along with cues to developers on how to prepare their apps to make them compatible with Android Marshmallow.
In a note to developers, Google says that the final Android 6.0 SDK is now available to download via the SDK Manager in Android Studio. With the Android 6.0 SDK devs now have access to the final Android APIs and the latest build tools so that you can target API 23. Once the Android 6.0 SDK is downloaded into Android Studio, developers can update their apps project compileSdkVersion to 23.
With that, you are ready to test your app with the new platform. You can also update your app to targetSdkVersion to 23 test out API 23 specific features like auto-backup and app permissions.
Do keep in mind, that Google is no longer supporting the long standing Eclipse software, as it continues to promote a wider reach for its own Android Studio.
Along with the Android 6.0 SDK, we also updated the Android Support Library to v23. The new Android Support library makes it easier to integrate many of the new platform APIs, such as permissions and fingerprint support, in a backwards-compatible manner.
New features of the software include a revamped mobile payment service, called Android Pay, and an updated version of the company’s digital assistant, called Now on Tap.
