Google app updated with Now on Tap functionality and Android Marshmallow UI

The news about this omission of the darker theme surfaced when a user requested for it on an Android Developer Preview forum, where representatives from Google responded to it. The representative told the user that this feature will not be a part of the forthcoming version but they will consider it in future releases.

The first of the three applications is probably the most interesting, as it shows how to take advantage of Marshmallow’s new sharing system dubbed “Direct Share”. No, the search bar hasn’t been greyed out (we’re crossing our fingers this will come eventually), but if you’ve been running with the latest Developer Preview, it finally introduces one of Android 6.0 Marshmallow’s biggest features: Now on Tap. However, the apps are not designed for general consumers. So, alternatives for users who desperately want the dark themes on their phones are available, in the form of Android launchers and themes that are downloadable from Google Play Store.

In a blog post written by Android Developer Advocate Rich Hyndman, he says the three apps have gone live on the Google Samples repository on GitHub, where a host of other sample apps are also available. Using the APIs provided by the feature, users can share content within one app to a contact, using for example, a social media app. This Direct Share shows us how text can be shared.

“To enable Direct Share, apps need to implement a Service extending ChooserTargetService. Specify android:name as android.service.chooser.chooser_target_service, and point the android:value to the Service”. Just like any other version, we can expect majority of the Android apps will be updated with the fluffy Marshmallow in mind. MidiSynth demonstrates the MIDI API that is used for receiving and playing MIDI messages sent from an input device, such as a MIDI keyboard. The third app focuses on how to use the MIDI API to receive and process MIDI signals coming from an attached device. The MIDI API can do a lot of things like enumeration of current devices, important information, MIDI notifications, and MIDI signals.