Google Names Android M ‘Marshmallow’

Google has officially given the name “Marshmallow” to the next version of Android, and has introduced developer tools that support the new software’s features, including fingerprint identification.

Some manufacturers already build fingerprint scanners into Android devices, but Android Marshmallow, the sixth iteration of the Linux-based mobile operating system, will be the first to support the feature natively.

Google introduced a developer preview of Android M at its Google I/O conference in May. On Monday, along with a final developer preview update, the company said it would release the Android 6.0 software developer kit (SDK) to developers and opened its Google Play software marketplace for applications targeting Marshmallow.

“Today with the final Developer Preview update, we’re introducing the official Android 6.0 SDK and opening Google Play for publishing your apps that target the new API level 23 in Android Marshmallow,” said Jamal Eason, Google product manager for Android, in a statement.

Google also released new Android support libraries to help developers to integrate new features in a way that will allow their software to remain functional on older versions of Android.

Marshmallow introduces a new way of handling application permissions, including a feature that will allow users to disable particular permissions. Android app permissions have proven a thorny issue, with security experts warning that some software requires users to give it excesive control over their devices.

Google urged developers to update their existing applications to compatibility with Marshmallow’s new application programming interface (API), level 23, and to carry out testing to ensure that software behaves as expected when a user disables a particular permission.

Alphabet

The company also released new Android emulator system images and developer preview system images for supported Nexus devices for testing purposes.

Marshmallow will also introduce a new power-saving mode called Doze, Google said.

Earlier this month Google introduced a new parent company called Alphabet that it said is to act as an umbrella for its various ventures.

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