Google has made available the first Android P Developer Preview (DP1). Notable new features include: WiFi-RTT, display cutout "notch" support, multiple cameras, animated GIFs, NNAPI 1.1, and improved performance for Kotlin code.
Some of the main new features in Android 9.0, scheduled to be released later in 2018 as Android 'P', are:
- Support for Wi-Fi RTT (IEEE 802.11mc) which helps provide indoors location position with an accuracy of 1-2 meters.
- Support for a display cutout (commonly referred to as a "notch"), where the camera array is located. Developers can set how their app will behave on a screen with notch, and also have the option to see a simulated notch on any device or the emulator.
- Better messaging notifications with more details about the sender, smart replies, and the possibility to add images or stickers.
- Support for multiple cameras enabling apps to get video streams from multiple sources, and create stereo vision and other effects.
- Displaying animated GIF and WebP images.
- Support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) VP9 Profile 2 video.
- The Neural Networks API (NNAPI 1.1) has 9 new operations.
- The Kotlin compiler generates binaries better optimized for performance.
Other improvements include refined notification channel settings, more power efficiency, improved autofill framework, a number of new security enhancements, Android backups can be encrypted with a client secret, and others.
Developers are strongly suggested to make their apps compatible with Android P because there are some behavior changes coming in this new version. Also, from November 2018 all application updates are required to target API v. 26 or higher, while support for 64-bit will be enforced next year.
Google has provided Android P images for Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. The Nexus phones and the Pixel C tablet won’t get DP nor GA. There are planned 5 DP releases followed by GA some time in Q3. Google mentions new features to be announced for DP2 during Google I/O 2018.