Android 6.0 Marshmallow: New Google OS explained in 10 points

Alright, so the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS is out and everyone wants its OTA update on their cellphone. Except, it would be a couple more weeks before anyone outside of the Nexus 5X and 6P phones would be able to use them. The bigger question, however, is, whether it’s really a worthy enough upgrade? Before you get too excited about getting the latest version of the Green Robot on your phone just because its ‘new’ we would like you to go through the features it has to offer to ascertain if it brings any extra utility to your phone. So here goes, a quick roundup of what all to expect from the new Google Android 6.0 Marshmallow when it hits your phone

Familiar Design: To start with, Marshmallow’s isn’t a brand new interface. It builds upon the material design theme introduced with the Android Lollipop and alters a few things here and there to improve the overall user experience. And we’re not complaining, for there really isn’t much to complain about the Lollipop interface anyway. Google has tried to fix some of the things which were cringe worthy, though, as we’ll see.

1. Google Now on Tap: Google’s personal assistant is more proactive now than it ever was. Google Now on Tap, as it’s been named, has the capability to read in-app details and help you find information. For example, you can summon Google Now while reading a message in Whatsapp, which will scan the text, decide if there’s something which may be of interest to you, and give you some options on how you wish to proceed. For example, on finding the name of a restaurant within an app, Google Now can offer you to launch maps and navigate. Pretty cool, huh? And useful too, by the look of it.
2. Google Now on Tap is also smarter as a voice assistant. It can now assist you or search results for you based on what you’re looking at on the screen. For example, while you have music playing on your phone, you can ask the Now ‘who’s the artist’, and it will let you know the name. Other new features include suggestions about events in the vicinity, timings for the last train to hitch for a ride back home and traffic statuses.
3. Android Pay : The relatively new mobile payment service from Google is meshed in more finely with the new Android platform. Like Apple Pay, you can now use your phone to make payments at outlets which support the feature using NFC. Just get your phone close to the payment terminal and follow the instructions to make payments.
4. App permissions: More control over what the apps can do you with your phone’s resources. While the current Android version show you the permissions a specific app requires at the time of install (camera, location et al), you more often than not see these apps doing things they ought not to do. There isn’t any way to restrict permissions to these apps post install on a case-to-case basis. With the Android 6 Marshmallow, device developers can now program the apps to be able to seek permissions or a specific action. For example, if you are using Twitter, and want to take a picture to tweet, the system can interstitially ask you whether you want to permit the app for using the camera.  Also, you can now go into the settings and choose specific actions you allow or disallow for any app.
5. Fingerprint Sensor integration: The fingerprint sensor is integrated right into the Android OS, allowing it to not just lock the screen, but also specific apps. You can also use the fingerprint sensor to restrict app downloads and authorizing payments using Android Pay.
6. USB Type C Support: While it isn’t a very OS specific thing, the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow has support for the latest USB Type C cable built right in. This means you will never have to bother about putting the cable into the slot the ‘right’ way.
7. Power savings: Google has introduced its Doze feature with the latest Android version. With Doze, Marshmallow powered devices will use much less power while being in the standby mode. The system essentially goes into hibernation when it doesn’t detect any motion, deactivating the apps and allowing for much more efficient power savings.
8. Better inter-app transition: While we haven’t really seen this functionality in action, the new update is said to have smoothened the inter-app transitions. So when an app requires you to switch over to another app, or to a browser, the work that has gone into the backend will ensure that the process is much smoother, easier and seamless.
9. Redesigned app homepage: The app drawer, where the apps installed on your phone reside, gets a makeover on Marshmallow. You can now search for an app by entering characters in a search bar on top. Close to that field are apps that you are likely to use more often than others, according to Google, of course. The scroll pattern in the new layout is up and down, unlike the sideways scrolling on the more recent versions.
10. Landscape homescreen: The screen rotates with the phone on all Android devices, except the homescreen. With the new update, even the homescreen orientation changes to landscape, along with re-aligned icons as you tilt the phone.

So there’s that – all we know about the changes you should expect on the Android Marshmallow powered devices. However, we are yet to have a therough review of the new system. So stay tuned for an even more exhaustive review, and share this piece with your friends and family who are Android fanboys.