Not a week has passed since the leak of Android 4.3 with the arrival of Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition and the new version of the operating system developed by the guys from Mountain View is already raising expectations and, more importantly, grabbing the attention of locals and strangers. Now, from the hand of a new filtration, we get another one of the more than probable novelties that this step forward of Android and that it will focus on the ability to allow third-party applications to control notifications.
In addition to enabling this feature, Google has incorporated a Notification Access Panel in the system settings. From there, the user explicitly grants each app permission to read all notifications, discard them y press buttons integrated into them. The system itself warns that the access may include sensitive data such as contact names o text messages, reinforcing privacy with a permission of high level of protection which is only activated if the user approves it.
Until now it was necessary to have root permissions so that some apps could control Android notifications, and everything seems to indicate that Google is determined to eliminate this from happening in the next version of its smartphone operating system. Thus, this greater interaction that the North American company wants to equip its notification system with will allow users to read and dismiss notifications, and even activate certain app actions.
Third-party app access to notifications
The novelty is based on a notification listening service that Android 4.3 exposes. Thanks to it, third-party apps can interact with the panel without resorting to accessibility or root. This opens the door to utilities such as LED managers, smart watches and displays, or productivity solutions that synchronize and centralize notifications, with the advantage of being able to discard the original notification when it has already been served from the external app.
Persistent notifications and foreground services
Google also tightens control of services in the foreground. Starting with this version, any app that remains active using startForeground() must show a persistent notification real. If you try to hide it improperly, the system itself will inform the user with the app icon and name which is still active and touching the notice will take you to the information sheet to be able to stop it. This prevents hidden consumption of resources and confusion about which apps still work.
Other improvements that accompany this version
Still, it will not be until the appearance of the first official version Android 4.3 when all these leaks are confirmed or denied, which, drop by drop, are allowing us to make a summary of what we will find in our smartphones in the near future.
While that moment arrives and to whet our appetite, we will have to continue to think about the new developments that have been discovered and that focus on aspects such as the possibility that the WiFi connection always remains active – albeit in the background –, some slight variations in the Roboto font, a new interface for the camera application or the implementation of Low Energy mode in Bluetooth to provide greater energy savings, among other issues.
Along with the above, Android 4.3 reinforces the rich notifications with action buttons that apps with access can operate and, in many cases, at the respond to an external notice is automatically removed from the panel to avoid duplicates. Additionally, Google includes a hidden app permission manager, known as Oops app, which allows you to selectively disable accesses such as location o camera; as a limitation, certain permissions only appear after using them for the first time and when deactivating them there is not always notice contextual in the affected app.
The new notification service favors integration with connected accessories such as smart watches or glasses and improves the ecosystem coherence: Manufacturers will be able to offer more capable notification panels without breaking compatibility with standard APIs or expected user behavior.
The new features point to a more transparent with the user, with greater granular control about what each app can do and a more comprehensive notification ecosystem interoperable and useful both on mobile and in associated accessories and services.