Google Inc. release of the open mobile platform . Related source texts for the new release are hosted in the project (branch android-10.0.0_r1). Firmware updates have already been rolled out for 8 Pixel series devices, including the first Pixel model. Additionally, universal GSI (Generic System Images) builds suitable for various devices based on ARM64 and x86_64 architectures. In the coming months, updates with Android 10 will be released for current smartphones from companies like Sony Mobile, Xiaomi, Huawei, Nokia, Vivo, OPPO, OnePlus, ASUS, LG, and Essential.
new features:
- Project , allowing the update of individual system components without a complete platform update. Such updates are downloaded via Google Play separately from the manufacturer's OTA firmware updates. It is expected that direct delivery of hardware-agnostic platform component updates will significantly reduce the time for receiving updates, improve the responsiveness of vulnerability fixes, and decrease dependence on device manufacturers in maintaining platform security. Modules with updates will initially be provided with open-source code, will be immediately available in AOSP (Android Open Source Project) repositories, and may include improvements and fixes prepared by third-party contributors.
Among the components that will be updated separately are: multimedia codecs, multimedia framework, DNS resolver, Java Security Provider, Documents UI, Permission Controller, ExtServices, timezone data, (a layer for translating OpenGL ES calls into OpenGL, Direct3D 9/11, Desktop GL, and Vulkan), Module Metadata, network components, Captive Portal Login, and network access settings. System component updates are delivered in a new package format , which differs from APK in its ability to be applied at an early stage of the system boot. A rollback mode is provided in case of possible failures;
- At the system level, a is implemented, which can be applied to reduce eye strain in low light conditions.
The dark theme can be enabled in the Settings > Display, through the quick settings dropdown, or when activating power saving mode. The dark theme applies to both the system and applications, including offering an automatic conversion mode for existing themes to dark tones; - The system of automated quick responses, previously available for notifications, can now be used to generate recommendations for the most likely actions in any application. For example, when displaying a message inviting to a meeting, the system will suggest quick responses to accept or decline the invitation, as well as show a button to view the scheduled meeting location on the map. The options are selected using a machine learning system based on studying user behavior;
- More tools have been provided to control applications' access to the user's location information. Previously, if the appropriate permissions were granted, an application could access the location at any time, even when it was inactive (running in the background), but in the new release, the user can permit location information to be accessed only during an active session with the application;
- A parental control mode called 'Family Link' has been added, allowing parents to limit children's screen time, grant bonus minutes for achievements, view lists of launched applications, and assess how much time the child spends in them, review installed applications, and set nighttime hours to block access at night;
- A 'focus mode' has been added, allowing users to selectively silence distracting applications during times when they need to concentrate on a task, for example, pausing email and news notifications but leaving maps and messaging apps active. This feature is currently not active in the current builds;
- A gesture navigation mode has been added, allowing control exclusively through on-screen gestures without displaying the navigation bar, maximizing the screen space for content. For example, buttons like Back and Home are replaced by swipes from the edge and a swipe up from the bottom; to access the list of running applications, a long touch on the screen is used. This mode can be enabled in the settings under 'Settings > System > Gestures';
- The 'Live Caption' feature has been added, enabling automatic real-time captions while watching any video or listening to audio recordings, regardless of the application used. Speech recognition is performed locally without using external services. Currently, this feature is not active in the builds;
- The concept of 'bubbles' has been introduced to facilitate simultaneous work with multiple applications. Bubbles allow users to perform actions in other applications without leaving the current program. Additionally, bubbles enable quick access to specific app functionalities while performing various tasks on the device. For example, using bubbles, users can continue conversations in a messenger through overlay buttons, quickly send messages, keep a task list in view, take notes, access translation services, and receive visual reminders, all while working in other applications. Bubbles are implemented over the notification system and allow the use of a similar API.
- Support for foldable screen devices has been added, such as . Each half of the foldable screen can now host a separate application. To support these new screen types, support for separate handling of multiple wake and focus change events has been added (when one half of the screen is active while the other remains closed, or when both halves are active), and the API has been expanded to manage screen size changes (so that the application correctly recognizes an increase in screen size upon opening the second half). The Android emulator has been updated to simulate foldable screen devices;
- Support for Sharing Shortcuts has been added, allowing quick access to the application that performs the sending.
- Support for settings panels has been added, enabling access to key system settings in the context of the user application. An API is provided for displaying the settings panels from the application. . For example, a multimedia player can display a panel with system audio settings, while a browser can show the network connection settings and the flight mode toggle.
Security:
- Additional access restrictions for applications to shared files, such as photo, video, and music collections.
- To access downloaded files located in the Downloads folder, the application must now use the system file chooser dialog, giving the user full control over which specific files the application can access.
- The ability for applications to transition from background execution to active state by coming to the foreground and obtaining input focus has been blocked, thus interrupting the user's work with another application. If a background application needs to attract the user's attention, such as during an incoming call, it should now use high-priority notifications with authorization for fullscreen output.
- to immutable device identifiers, such as IMEI and serial number. To obtain such identifiers, the application must have READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE privileges.
Applications are also restricted from accessing the pseudo-FS "/proc/net" with network activity statistics, and access to clipboard data is now granted only when the application is active (has focus). - When providing a list of contacts to the application, the ranking of output by frequency of contact access has been stopped to conceal user preference information from applications.
- MAC address randomization is enabled by default: when connecting to different wireless networks, different MAC addresses are now generated, preventing tracking of user movement between WiFi networks.
- To access the API for scanning Bluetooth networks, cellular networks, and Wi-Fi, permissions for obtaining precise location information are now required (previously, permissions for approximate location information were sufficient). However, if a connection is established in P2P mode or the network to connect to is identified by the system, separate permissions to access location information are not required;
- Support for wireless network protection technology has been implemented , which provides protection against password guessing attacks (preventing offline password cracking) and uses the SAE authentication protocol. For generating encryption keys in open networks, support for a connection negotiation process implemented by the OWE extension has been added ();
- ) and support for . In Google's tests, using TLS 1.3 can accelerate the establishment of secure connections by up to 40% compared to TLS 1.2.
- A new storage has been introduced , providing a level of isolation for application files. Using this API, an application can create a separate isolated directory for its files on external storage (e.g., an SD card), which other applications will not be able to access. The current application will be limited to this directory for storing photos, videos, and music, and will not overlap with common multimedia collections. To gain access to shared file collections, separate permissions will be required;
- In the API , which standardizes the rendering of biometric authentication dialogs, support for passive authentication methods such as face authentication has been added. Separate methods for handling explicit and implicit authentication are proposed. In explicit authentication, the user must confirm the operation, while in implicit authentication, the process can occur unnoticed in passive mode;
to provide audio stream processing capabilities to another application. Granting other applications access to audio output requires a special permission;
PGO (Profile Guided Optimization), which includes information about the most frequently executed parts of the code. Precompiling such parts significantly reduces startup time. Optimizations have been made within ART for earlier application process startup and relocation to an isolated container. Additional data, such as classes, is preserved in the application’s memory image. A multithreaded loading mode for application memory images has been implemented. Garbage collector efficiency has been improved through the separate processing of recently created objects.
Reply (suggesting responses to messages). The new release includes 60 new operations, such as ARGMAX, ARGMIN, and quantized LSTM, along with significant performance optimizations, enabling the API to support new machine learning models, such as object detection and image segmentation.
Source: opennet.ru
