Android (Photo : Reuters)
Many were ecstatic when Google unveiled the Android M operating software during the company's I/O tech conference, paving the way for future fingerprint support, contactless banking and patch for tons of bugs.
On the other hand, some well-versed developers and programmers were able to get ahold of Android M's source code and managed to delve deeper into Google's upcoming operating system. Most of the time, the source code contain codes for new features that are still under development as well as Easter Eggs.
Here are three of the most interesting features found on Android M's source code that were not presented at Google the I/O conference:
Tap-To-Wake Support
This feature allows the device to turn on the device by simply tapping on the device's screen instead of pressing the power key. HTC and LG devices already have this feature on their own version of the Android OS.
According to Ars Technica, hidden deep in Android M's source code is an entry with Boolean value called "double_tap_to_wake." Although the feature sounds interesting, some OEM company's might not include this into their devices due to software and hardware issues. One thing is sure, the tap-to-wake feature will be present in new Nexus devices.
Calculator Update
In previous Android versions, the Calculator app is part of Android Open Source Project. However, Android M's source code reveals that the app was changed from "Calculator" to "CalculatorGoogle." Usually, a change of name like this means that the app will be released on Play Store as a standalone app.
The calculator was also upgraded and now supports command like copy, paste and cut. One hidden feature of the calculator is that the app will automatically timeout when doing really big calculations. Finally, Google also changed the Calculator's icon.
Dark Mode
Another feature buried deep into Android M's source code is the option for Dark Mode. Under Android M's Developer Mode is a Theme Setting that gives users the option to choose between Light, Dark, and Automatic theme. As the name suggests, the Light option gives off a white background and Dark gives off a black one while the Automatic option changes between the dark and light choices based on the device's current time.
According to BGR, Google also hid an Easter Egg in Android M's source code. The Easter Eggs shows an ASCII emoticon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The Easter Egg also has a title "regrettable_lack_of_easter_egg."
