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and aptX HD formats also getting a run.<br />
Qualcomm bought aptX maker CSR in<br />
2015 and the wireless audio format has<br />
since appeared in dedicated audio<br />
devices, as well as the Samsung Galaxy<br />
S8 and LG G6 phones.<br />
PICTURE-IN-PICTURE MODE<br />
It’s already available on Android TV and<br />
now Picture-in-Picture (PIP) comes to<br />
other devices via Android O (tinyurl.com/<br />
jwmnmxp). This means that an app in<br />
PIP mode will continue to playback<br />
content in the PIP frame, while you<br />
work on the current app. However, we<br />
think the way its implemented might<br />
cause a hiccup or two at the start for<br />
developers. Google says an app in PIP<br />
mode is in a ‘paused’ state, but that<br />
‘pause’ shouldn’t include media<br />
playback. Instead, content playback<br />
should only be paused in ‘onStop()’<br />
mode and resumed in ‘onStart()’.<br />
So effectively, you still play in ‘pause’,<br />
then pause in ‘stop’.<br />
In any event, it only works in apps<br />
coded with PIP support — this you do by<br />
first setting ‘android:supportsPictureIn<br />
Picture’ as ‘true’ in the app’s Android<br />
Manifest file, then incorporating the<br />
relevant application programming<br />
interface (API) code into your app<br />
screens or ‘activities’.<br />
MULTI-DISPLAY SUPPORT<br />
Android has been making moves<br />
towards the desktop environment in<br />
recent times, not just thanks to custom<br />
releases such as RemixOS (tinyurl.com/<br />
gr6jha8), but also through Nougat’s<br />
Multi-Window option. Android O takes<br />
this a step further with multi-display<br />
LG’s new G6 could be<br />
in line for an Android O<br />
update toward<br />
the end of <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
support. According to Google, users<br />
running Android O devices with<br />
multiple displays will be able to move<br />
an activity from one display device to<br />
another. However, the app will, again,<br />
need to be enabled for multi-display,<br />
otherwise it won’t be going anywhere.<br />
Also, if you use adb shell, Google says<br />
you can now launch an activity and set<br />
the display it runs on using the<br />
command:<br />
adb shell start --display <br />
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) was<br />
originally included in the Android<br />
software development kit (SDK), but<br />
earlier this year, Google released it as<br />
part of a separate, much smaller 3.5MB<br />
download called ‘SDK Platform Tools’<br />
available from tinyurl.com/jhyy47m.<br />
WI-FI AWARE<br />
Transferring data from one mobile<br />
device to another is big business —<br />
you already have near-field<br />
communications (NFC) for low-dose<br />
data, including the booming array of<br />
wireless payment services. Now, Wi-Fi<br />
is the centre of renewed focus.<br />
Wi-Fi Aware (tinyurl.com/p2myjur) is<br />
the public face of Neighbour Awareness<br />
Networking (NAN), a new-ish Wi-Fi<br />
standard that’s been kicking around<br />
since 2015 and allows WiFi-Aware<br />
devices to discover each other and<br />
connect without an access-point.<br />
Android O will come with<br />
simpler-to-code DRM<br />
controls for media.<br />
Android O’s home screen<br />
features an Android<br />
Assistant pull-out screen.<br />
Android O’s Developer<br />
Options feature LDAC<br />
audio bandwidth settings.<br />
www.apcmag.com 101
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