Google I/O 2014: Google teases the next version of Android

While we won’t be seeing a new version of Android just yet, Google teased the upcoming operating system at Google I/O 2014.

In addition to the major Android redesign, Android “L” will focus on polishing the operating system. There’s a new, faster runtime environment called ART, which will make apps work more fluidly and preserve your battery.

Notifications are getting a major overhaul as well. With Android L, you will be able to interact with notifications from the lock screen. Double tap the notification to jump to the app or swipe it away. Notifications in Android L are smart too; it’ll learn how you use your phone and will offer notifications in order of highest importance, a type of prioritization we’ve already seen with Google’s priority inbox for Gmail.

In-app notifications have been tweaked as well, and now allow you to reply or dismiss a notification easily.

Android L will also get updated security. The operating system can detect when your Android Wear watch is close and will unlock your phone automatically without needing to enter a pin. If the watch gets too far away, Android L will prompt the user for a password. Google is extending this security feature to its Chromebooks as well.

Google is also taking battery life serious with Project Volta. Developers will have a new battery tracking tool to see exactly what a device is doing with battery power. It’ll be much more advanced than the battery tracker currently in Android. The battery saver mode will turn off non-essential services to squeeze some more life out of your battery, something we’ve seen phone makers like Samsung implement into their handsets already.

No word about when we can expect to see Android L just yet.

Header image source: Google

MORE NEWS FROM GOOGLE I/O:

• Google rethinks Android design
• Android One, a mobile operating system for emerging markets
• Google Docs gets native Office editing