Android Mascots At The Google I/O Developers Conference
Android mascots are lined up in the demonstration area at the Google I/O Developers Conference in the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, May 10, 2011. Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

Google has taken a different route and surprised everyone by releasing the first preview of its upcoming Android operating system, dubbed the Android 'N' but not officially namd yet, earlier than expected.

The search giant was expected to talk about the next generation of operating system updates for Android devices at its I/O developer conference scheduled in May. However, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Senior Vice President for Android, Chrome OS and Chromecast at Google, has confirmed on Medium that users will be able to update their Android devices, including the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 and Pixel C, to the developer preview of 'N' via an OTA.

“As we look to the next release of Android, N, you’ll notice a few big changes aimed at you as developers: it’s earlier than ever, it’s easier to try and we’re expanding the ways for you to give us feedback,” added Lockheimer.

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Lockheimer didn't give the N release a name in his Medium post Medium

He also revealed that the team decided to release the preview earlier than expected to allow feedback from developers at an earlier stage in the process of development.

Check out the Android N Developer Preview by visiting g.co/androidbeta.

Among the notable changes in Android N, the split-screen view is most significant. For the first time ever, Google’s mobile OS will offer a feature similar to that of Apple’s iOS 9 -- a functionality allowing users to run two apps side-by-side on both smartphones and tablets.

Multi-window view will add more productivity and can be really helpful for avid tablet users on the move, as Google’s own Pixel C proved.

Another notable change in Android N is improved notifications. For example, with “direct reply notifications,” developers can now enable users to reply to incoming notifications right from the notifications pop-ups. Besides the side-by-side view, Android N will also offer a picture-in-picture mode like on iOS.

With Android Marshmallow, Google introduced new features like Doze mode, Apps permission, Google Now on Tap, auto-backup and Direct Share.

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