Google’s annual I/O developer conference is set to kick off on Thursday, May 28th. The biggest highlight of the event is likely to be Android M, the next generation of Google’s mobile OS. Even though the event is just a couple of days away, rumors and leaks about Android M keep pouring in. Now Android Police has learned from its sources that the upcoming OS will focus on optimizing RAM usage and battery performance.
Google executive confirms Android M release
Earlier this month, Google had accidentally revealed the name Android M in its schedule for the I/O conference, but later removed that session. Now Google executive Hiroshi Lockheimer has confirmed in an interview with Fast Company that “this year we’ll launch M.” He even added that you can “predict what will happen next year,” suggesting that Android N would arrive in 2016.
To improve battery performance, Google has asked its team to cut “location check-ins” when not necessary and reduce activity when the device is not charging. This approach suggests that Google has acknowledged consumer complaints about Play services sapping more battery and memory leak issue of Nexus 5 users.
Android Police reports that the upcoming OS is internally called Macadamia Nut Cookie or MNC. But this name may change by final rollout, just like Android Lemon Meringue Pie became Lollipop last year. The publication notes that Google will reveal Android M as a developer preview at the I/O event. The final version is scheduled for August, while the software will get its official name by October.
Google has plenty in store for I/O conference
Besides Android M, Google is expected to unveil new Voice Access and Nearby features, Android Pay, a new Chromecast, and an expanded OK Google voice search. The search engine giant is also expected to offer details about native support for fingerprint authentication. There have been plenty of rumors that Google would spin off photos from Google+ and introduce it as a separate Photos app.
Earlier, there were reports that Google would also tweak privacy control for Android M to let users choose what information they want to share with apps.
