Google has released the first developer preview of Android N, the update to its OS due to arrive this summer.
The build is a “work in progress”, by Googles own admission, because it has decided to release the preview much easier than usual – so early it doesnt even have its traditional sweet designation yet (though the current forerunner is Nutella).

The headline feature is the multi-window capability, which allows two apps to run side by side in split screen or, on some devices, picture-in-picture mode.

Perhaps more important, though, are the changes to the notifications bar (or shade, to use Googles terminology). As well as an expandable system bar which can be used to access wi-fi, battery and other settings, notifications from a single app can now be bundled into sub-categories – by thread in messaging apps, for example – and expanded to look at individual notifications. Users can also quickly respond to notifications direct from the shade, a feature previously designed for Android Wear.

The power-saving Doze feature introduced in Marshmallow has also been expanded, with a function that saves battery whenever the screen is turned off. On the mobile data front, meanwhile, Android N introduces a feature called Data Saver which blocks background data usage and limits usage by apps in the foreground.