Last updated on May 29, 2015

Google has released the preview images for Android M (links at the bottom) and some of the new visual changes include the ability to choose either of the black and white themes and a new app drawer.

The developer options seem to give users the option to pick dark or light themes (a default feature in most custom ROMs) or set them up to change automatically. The dark theme however is currently only applicable on the settings screen and not other displays like the notification bar or app drawer.

The app drawer has also undergone major changes, with alphabetical sorting being at the top of the list. Apps which you use frequently are also stacked at the top for easy access, and both the alphabetical listing and popular app sorting should make it much easier to find the apps you want in an otherwise cluttered app drawer.

Apart from these visual changes, Android M will also have an automatic app backup feature according to Google. Your Android M devices will basically make backups of your apps on Google Drive every day and you can easily restore them when you need to, especially if you switch to a new Android device. You can read more about the Auto Backup feature on the Android developers site.

There are a lot of other new features expected with Android M later this year, including Android Pay, better permission controls and improved battery backup timing.

If you have a Nexus device, you can also download and install Android M preview images from the links below. However, please note that these preview images may not be completely stable and are merely for testing purposes.

We’d love to hear your comments and feedback on the new features and changes that will make their way into Android M. If you download a preview image and install it, do let us know about your experience as well.