Android O has added some new features as part of its 2nd Developer Preview, which was announced today, as part of its Google I/O 2017 developer conference. The first new feature is called Notification Dots. These appear on your app icons on the homescreen, when the app has a notification (a comment, or a new message or email, etc). Basically it is the same as the unread count badge, which we have been using on Nova Launchers for many years.
Icons with these Notification Dots can be long pressed to quickly preview the content in it, but of course you can still use the notification shade to view the message's preview.
Another new feature in Android O, allows you to view an app's widget by long-pressing the icon. This can be a nice way to see widgets without making a cluttered mess of your homescreen.
And now to the most interesting news. Google is finally redesigning its emoji, so say goodbye to the ugly blobs. The new emojis are based on Unicode 10.0 characters, and look similar to those used by Apple, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc. Here is a preview of the upcoming emoji in Android O.
Image courtesy: Emojipedia.
If you have a Nexus 5X, 6P, Player or Pixel, XL or C, you can opt in to the Android O beta to give the new version a spin.