With over one billion active users using Android, it’s crucial for developers to stay on top of updates and bug fixes to keep the ecosystem healthy and happy. We’ve rounded up a few of the most recent updates that Google has rolled out to keep Android running smoothly.
Google Hangouts 5.0
Download: Hangouts 5.0 for Android is now available
On October 12, a new version of Hangouts for Google Play was announced, an app that has over one billion installs. Hangouts 5.0 features GIF compatibility, a fix for random scrolling in conversations, the snackbar has been removed, and the issue of certain messages not appearing has been resolved. Other improvements include the pop-up displaying the “singed in as” details now appears over a white background instead of black, and the app displays checkboxes in a brighter shade of green so it can be recognized much easier.
VLC for Android
VLC app for Android gets big update, preparing for Marshmallow
VLC is a free and open source multimedia player that works across platforms and can play pretty much any video or audio file you throw at it. Over the years VLC has gained a reputation as one of the best media players on desktops and mobile devices alike and the new 1.6 version is a major update with a few cosmetic changes as well as back-end upgrades for better performance. One of the biggest changes developers made is improvement to the internal decoding speed and interface functionality in order to improve the app for users running older versions of the operating system while at the same time preparing the app for the latest OS, Android 6.0.
Marshmallow – Android 6.0
Top 5 Android Marshmallow Features! by MKBHD
The new OS for Android is a significant update that embraces minimalism and simplicity for a more pragmatic and utilitarian user experience. For example, the new lock screen features bolder text for the clock, which makes it easier to quickly scan for the time, and the notification panel offers a drop down menu for easy access to the Quick Settings. Google has also greatly improved the settings menu, and has even added a helpful “Android security patch level” section that lists the last date that you’ve received a security update.
Android Marshmallow Review by The Verge
Another part of the app that has seen an overhaul is the Now on Tap feature which now keeps track of your Internet activity to help provide it with a context that helps it hone in and offer more relevant search results. With the new version of Now on Tap, any time you press down the home button, the app begins to process the most important details of whatever is currently displayed on your screen like an address or link, and the more you use Now on Tap, the better it will become at providing you with the information you want.
Find Out More
Android 6.0 Marshmallow review – Android is more Google than ever
As Android grows in popularity, users become a bigger target for cyber criminals looking to steal your identity or corrupt your data through Android security vulnerabilities. If you want to avoid becoming a cybercrime victim, you have to be proactive and keep abreast of all of the latest security threats and precautions you can take to avoid them.
To keep up to date on the Android news, be sure to check out Android Central, which offers a wide variety of resources. There are community-driven forums, news articles released daily, reviews of the latest releases, well-produced videos on related topics, a help and how to resource, and a community Q&A which can be extremely helpful.