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Google has just released the first of several promised updates to the Android N developer preview. Android N Developer Preview 2 makes several major changes to the work-in-progress operating system and also includes bug fixes and tweaks to the new multi-window API.
The biggest addition is support for the Vulkan graphics API, a low-overhead counterpart to OpenGL that's analogous to DirectX 12 in Windows or Metal in iOS and OS X. It also includes support for Unicode 9.0 emoji and redesigns Google's stock emoji characters to make them "more human-looking." Unicode 9.0 is currently in draft, but it should be finalized and released this summer before Android N's final version is available. Finally, Google has added something called "launcher shortcuts," which use Intents to create shortcuts to specific in-app activities like navigating home in Google Maps or sending messages to specific people.
The Android N preview is available for the Nexus 6, 5X, 6P, and 9, the Pixel C tablet, and the General Mobile 4G; an update for the Nexus Player version of the N preview will be available soon. Those of you running Marshmallow on a supported device can update over the air by enrolling in the Android beta program, or you can flash an operating system image to your device manually. If you're already running the first developer preview, your device should receive an over-the-air update "shortly."
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