Die-hard Android fans lauded Google's announcement of the upcoming Android OS update which will bring a host of new features. Among them will be auto data backup for apps. And thanks to a developer's effort, the Android M preview is now available for the Nexus 7 2012.
The Android M developer preview provides an opportunity for developers and users to test out the upcoming features of the OS update. The preview rolled out to Google's current crop of flagship devices, and just recently, to select Sony Xperia devices.
With the availability of the Nexus 7 2012 port, users of the tablet can now see what the upcoming update looks like with a caveat that the experience won't be as smooth as the consumer version will be upon its release.
"WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and GPS are just a few of the things which aren't working should users decide to flash this port of the Android M dev preview," Android Headlines wrote.
However, the port does work with a ROM that allows users to switch between it and the Android M preview.
Meanwhile, Android M will reportedly bring auto data backup for apps, according to Tom's Hardware.
"The data will be backed up automatically (opt-out) in the user's Google Drive account, and it will be encrypted at rest. There will be a limit of 25 MB per app backup, but the total backed-up data won't count against a user's Drive storage quota. When the app reaches that limit, it will stop backing up future data, so developers will need to be careful not to go past that limit."
The report did say that developers will have the ability to exclude the data they don't want backed up.
As Franchise Herald reported, other features Android M will bring include fast charging, longer battery life and an updated app permission control.
Qualified devices can now run the Android M preview. No exact release date for the consumer version has been announced but it is expected sometime in Q3 2015.
