Google’s latest update to its mobile OS, Android Marshmallow, is already available to a few lucky users. A more general roll-out will begin soon, proving that when talking about battery life, Google means serious business.
Google very serious about battery life
Google announced several major new features for Marshmallow, and ‘Doze’ was one among them. This is the name the company gave to its new power-saving sleep mode. A device with a Doze feature on, when not in use automatically, goes into a mode similar to airplane mode, says a report from Gizmodo. The feature disables a number of radios and background processes, thus saving the battery.
The feature itself is quite useful, but the fact that Google is making Doze inclusion mandatory is interesting news. Manufacturers must enable Doze on their devices in order to be able to ship a version of Android with all of Google’s search and mapping services. This is an aggressive move by Google.
Besides this, the Internet firm wants manufacturers to provide accurate information on where most of the battery power is used. Previously, manufacturers have tried hiding the stats. The company allowed the manufacturers a free rein over software mods in the past, but this will change in Android 6.0.
Google has specified in its documentation (first noted by Android Police) that “device implementations MUST be able to track hardware component power usage and attribute that power usage to specific applications.” Such wordings, when seen along the mandatory Doze mode, clearly shows Google’s seriousness about battery life.
What’s more with Marshmallow?
Apart from the battery issue, Google has taken a big step towards fit and finish with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Popping and sliding of apps now happens in a slick and well-animated fashion. As a user progresses through apps, menus and other elements slide out on smooth-moving trays. “It’s all very fluid, rivaling iOS on polish, but with less poppy motion,” says The Guardian.
Google has stretched its material design to small things that include the status bar as well, and now it complements the color scheme of the app better. The look and feel of Android 6.0 is more uniform. Android was capable and always customizable, but now it offers users a premium software experience as well.
