It introduced a new opt-in permissions architecture, new APIs for contextual assistants (first used by a new feature "Now on Tap" to provide context-sensitive search results), a new power management system that reduces background activity when a device is not being physically handled, native support for fingerprint recognition and USB-C connectors, the ability to migrate data and applications to a microSD card, and other internal changes.
[26][27] Android 6.0.1, a software patch featuring security fixes, support for Unicode 8.0 emoji (although without supporting skin tone extensions for human emoji), and the return of the "until next alarm" feature in Do Not Disturb mode, was released on December 7, 2015.
[31] Samsung and LG have, however, removed the ability to use an SD card as "internal" storage on their Galaxy S7 and G5 devices, with Samsung arguing that the feature could result in unexpected losses of data, and prevents users from being able to transfer data using the card.
An opt-in system is now used, in which users are prompted to grant or deny individual permissions (such as the ability to access the camera or microphone) to an application when they are needed for the first time.
Permissions can still be revoked for those apps, though this might prevent them from working properly, and a warning is displayed to that effect.
Fingerprints can be used for unlocking devices and authenticating Play Store and Google Pay purchases.
Marshmallow also introduces "verified links" that can be configured to open directly in their specified application without further user prompts.
[13][12] User data for apps targeting Marshmallow can be automatically backed up to Google Drive over Wi-Fi.
[41] These conditions comprise part of a specification that must be met in order to be certified for the operating system,[41] and be able to license Google Mobile Services software.
[42] The requirement for mandatory device encryption was originally intended to take effect on Lollipop, but was delayed due to performance issues.