Google finally releases the first Android M update for Nexus devices
Users who have been running Android M on a Google Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, or Nexus Player have something to look forward to today: it is getting the first of two updates that are expected before it is ready for a wider release to consumers.
The newest M build is MPZ79M for all devices except the Nexus Player; that one gets updated to build MPZ79N. It comes with the latest Google Play Services 7.6 build, and is available as a factory image to download and flash right now. You can also wait for an OTA update, if you prefer.
Here is the official changelog, straight from Google:
- Permissions changes
- The
android.permission.USE_FINGERPRINT
permission now has “normal” protection level, so it is no longer necessary to request this permission directly from the user. TheUSE_FINGERPRINT
permission enables fingerprints to be enabled for authentication, but does not give the requesting app access to the enrollment/fingerprint administration flow.- The
android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
permission has protection level “dangerous”, meaning that apps wanting to write to external storage will need to request permission from the user at runtime. BothWRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
andWRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
are members of theSTORAGE
permission group.- Remote Bluetooth/Wi-Fi MAC’s now require either the
android.permission.LOCATION_FINE
orandroid.permission.LOCATION_COURSE
permission.- Some accounts and identity permissions are moved to
CONTACTS
permissions group and others are removed or granted based on account type. In particular,android.permission.USE_CREDENTIALS
,android.permission.MANAGE_ACCOUNTS
, andandroid.permission.AUTHENTICATE_ACCOUNTS
are ungrouped pending further changes in a later release.- The Wi-Fi permissions
android.permission.CHANGE_WIFI_STATE
,android.permission.CHANGE_WIMAX_STATE
, andandroid.permission.CHANGE_WIFI_MULTICAST_STATE
now have protection level “normal”.- The Bluetooth permissions
android.permission.BLUETOOTH
andandroid.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN
now have protection level “normal”.- Bookmarks and subscribed feeds permissions are removed.
- Apps included in the system image are no longer granted dangerous permissions automatically. All apps should check for and request permissions at runtime.
- Introduces the utility method
Activity.shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale(String)
, which lets your app see whether users have previously rejected a permission request. This lets you know that your app should explain the the user why it needs that permission. For more information see the Permissions developer guide.- Other changes
- The
android.app.AssistContent
andandroid.app.AssistStructure
classes are moved into a new package,android.app.assist
.- Bluetooth Stylus APIs are updated and include new callback events. The
View.OnStylusButtonPressListener
class is renamed toView.OnContextClickListener
andGestureDetector.OnStylusButtonPressListener
class toGestureDetector.OnContextClickListener
.- TextInputLayout doesn’t set hint for embedded EditText. (fixed issue)
- Camera Permission issue with Legacy Apps (fixed issue)
Google has also provided us with a list of known issues:
[Google via Android Police]
- General issues:
- The system Messenger app crashes on the 64-bit emulator.
- After updating to Developer Preview 2, Contacts sync experiences intermittent issues. The workaround is to clear and re-sync Contact Storage data after update. To clear data, go to Settings > Apps > Show system > Contacts Storage. Select “Storage” and then Clear data.
- In YouTube app, it’s not possible to share a video. The share window is blank.
- Android For Work Profile setup is not working properly, so you won’t be able to create a new Work Profile after you update. As a workaround, make sure to create the Work Profiles you need in Developer Preview 1 before updating to Developer Preview 2.
- Issues specific to MPZ79N on Nexus Player:
- Bluetooth share crashes after clearing data. Please do not clear Bluetooth share data, otherwise you will need to Factory Reset your device
- There are issues with remote control connectivity. Remote can drop from Bluetooth pairing when left idle.
- Movies show black screen with some ANRs on exiting the video.
- In YouTube app, lower-resolution videos have a green bar at the top and some color-ghosting