As expected, Google announced yesterday at I/O that the 3rd Developer Preview of Android N is now available for those registered in the beta program. What is more interesting is that the company was quite clear that they believe this build is stable enough for general consumption on your every day devices. It is a significant difference from the language used in the first two previews which was very clear in their “developer only” messaging. While I would still caution those who don’t want to put up with odd behaviors or diminished battery life from download it, if you have an eligible device, you can get it through the Android Beta program site.
As you would expect for a beta in its 3rd release, there are a lot of bug fixes and refinements in this updated beta. There are also several new features including the new Android VR mode which
Android N
will dramatically improve VR performance on future Android devices. Developers can now get the SDK for VR as well to start development work. Other improvements focus on smoothing out some of the rough edges around notifications, performance improvements by auto shutting down apps that you have running but haven’t used in a while and other tidbits. It is certainly an improvement over the first two betas.
If you have a Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 9, Pixel C or Android Player, you can register your device on the Beta site have it downloaded to your device. Just remember that the install completely wipes your device so make sure you have things backed up. Also, if you opt out and go back to Marshmallow, that too will wipe your device clean.
