Android O: What's New In The Latest Android Version?

About two months back with its start developer preview, Google gave usa a sense of taste of its latest mobile operating system, Android O. Now at the Google I/O 2017, Google has revealed more than details on the next Android iteration. The Android O public beta is already out and you lot can install it right now on your Nexus or Pixel device. Android O brings a number of cool changes and features. The Android O changes autumn into into three different categories: Fluid Experiences, UI Changes, and Vitals. So, if you accept been wondering what'due south new in Android O, well, sit back, relax and read on, equally we tell you lot all the changes and features in Android O:

Fluid Experiences

Google asserted the fact that mobile phones are slowly transitioning into full-fledged computers. However, due to the small size of our phones, performing certain tasks like multitasking has always been a problem. Fluid Experiences is Google's endeavor to provide us with a refined user feel which is non impacted past the smaller size of our smartphones. The theme here is to become more washed, even with a pocket-sized screen device.

1. Picture-in-Picture

Multitasking on Android has improved over the years. With Android Nougat, Google introduced split up-screen multitasking and with Android O, the search giant is introducing a new picture-in-picture mode.

In apps similar YouTube, Google Duo or Netflix, nosotros can just press the home button to activate pic-in-picture mode. It will create a floating window which can exist adjusted, resized and repositioned. While the floating window is active nosotros nonetheless accept access to all the features on our smartphone. For example, we can take notes while watching a tutorial on YouTube. This approach does feel better than the split-screen fashion. However, 3rd party app developers need to support this feature in their apps to make information technology really useful.

ii. Notification Dots

Google wants to alter the style we collaborate with notifications on our smartphone. Whenever an app receives a notification, besides showing it in the notification eye, it will too show a notification dot  on the app itself. Information technology likewise gives users a new medium to interact with the notification. A long press on the app icon will prove the notification right at that place in the form of a widget. Swiping the notification from the widget will also articulate it from the notification console.

3. Machine-fill with Google

Auto-fill function has always been a role of Google Chrome browser. With this version of Android, Google is extending its auto-fill up support to apps. Suppose your login information for Twitter is saved on your Chrome browser. When y'all open the app for the first time on a smartphone, information technology will automatically pull that data from Chrome and log you in. This office volition be really useful when you are setting upwardly a new phone.

4. Smart Text Selection

Selecting a text to copy it on your smartphone has always been a pain. Fiddling with the selection markers to select the text is infuriating at times. Co-ordinate to Google'due south user studies, phone numbers are virtually copy-pasted item followed by names and addresses. Google is using this data with its motorcar learning to create "Smart Text Pick" on Android O. Whenever a user double taps on a phone number, name, address, or email id, the Os will exist smart enough to select the whole thing. Not only that, information technology will also bringcontextually aware options. For instance, showing maps or dialer in instance you selected an address or phone number. A handy feature indeed.

v. Automatically Enable WiFi Nearly Saved Network

I can't tell you how many times I just chewed through my mobile data when I forgot to connect to my home/office WiFi. The only way to save ourselves from accidentally gobbling upwardly our mobile data is to keep our WiFi on at all times. Still, that is non an optimal solution. Android O brings a new feature which will alleviate this problem once and for all. Whenever your device is in the area served by a saved WiFi network, your phone will automatically toggle on the WiFi and connect to the network. It will relieve accidental mobile information consumption without you lot having to keep the WiFi on all the time.

This feature is based on the data obtained through user's location. In Android O, you can plow on the automated WiFi toggle feature by going into Network and Cyberspace > WiFi > WiFi Preferences.

six. Enhanced Search in Settings

Google introduced search inside the Settings folio in Android Lollipop (5.0) to make it easier for users to navigate through the Settings page options. With Android O, Google is giving users a more enhanced search feature in Settings. When you search for an option in the Settings page,the options will include a sub-text which will show you the path to find that setting. Besides, previously if y'all wanted to encounter data about any app, you had to manually find the app sub-section in the Settings page and and so scroll downward to find the app. Now you can only search for the app and it volition show up in the search result.

vii. More Fingerprint Scanner Gestures

Devices like Nexus and Pixel already relish certain fingerprint scanner gestures like swiping downwardly to bring down the notification shade. Android O is going to enhance on this feature by adding horizontal swipes along with vertical swipes. Information technology is non yet clear what functions they will perform but whatever added gesture support is welcomed. Also, unlike before, the swipe direction will not be afflicted by the device's orientation. Whether y'all are in portrait or landscape way, swiping downwardly volition accept the same result.

viii. Screen Overlay Notification

In that location are many apps which use the born screen overlay ability of Android to draw over other apps and provide usa with features which otherwise would not take been possible. The best example of this tin exist seen in the pop-up bubble feature utilized by apps like Facebook Messenger and display calibration past apps like Twilight. However, this comes with several associated security risks. Apps may misuse this potency to display sure buttons or stop you from interacting with the device till they are active.

To let the users know that an app is using screen overlay, Android O generates a notification whenever such an app is launched. You can disable the app only past tapping on the notification. A very handy and welcome feature.

UI Changes

Although Android O builds on top of the previous Android versions and does non bring whatsoever major changes in the look and feel of the Android, in that location are some UI changes that really streamline the experience.

i. Redesigned Quick Settings

One of the most visible UI change coming with the Android O tin can be seen in the notification shade. The notification and quick settings page at present follow a greytheme instead of the earlier blackness and white theme. As well, the buttons to edit Quick Settings tiles, switch user profiles, and the Settings shortcut have been moved to the lesser of the notification page. This makes it easier to admission them on a large device.

2. Ability to Change Icons in Pixel launcher

Although Android has always allowed usa to modify our icon gear up past installing launchers and icon packs, it has never been an inbuilt feature. With Android O, Google has immune users to change the shape of icons. Users still cannot completely overhaul an icon'due south look just they can change the shape and size of the icons. For me, it's a footstep in the right direction.

three. Long Printing to Access App's Widget

Android brought contextual menu, like 3D Touch on iOS, in the form of long press in Android 7.1. Basically, a long press on an app's icon lets a user admission the app'south specific shortcuts. With Android O, at present the user can admission an app's widget by long pressing on its icon. If an app has multiple widget formats, users can select which widget they want to run across.

4. Intensity slider in Night Light

Night Light helps reduce strain on our eyes in the night be reducing the blue light and increasing the red tint of the display. In Nougat, a user could only select when to turn the Night Light on or off. Android O brings a slider which tin be used to adjust the intensity of Night Light allowing united states of america to select the corporeality of red tint we want on our display.

5. Quickly Check Location Permissions

Location permissions are sought by many apps to function properly. Notwithstanding, it is not in our best involvement to share our location data with all the apps at all the time. Since Marshmallow (6.0), we are allowed to change the permissions for an individual app. Even so, the part was buried deep inside the Settings menu. With Android O, Google has included a brusk-cutting to location permissions on the location setting page itself. This makes it easier to manage app level location permissions.

Vitals

Every new version of Android brings major under the hood changes focusing on security, battery life, and performance comeback. This twelvemonth it seems that these areas are the major focus indicate for Android O. Google clubbed all under the hood improvements into one category and called it 'Vitals'. The concept is to proceed everything which is vital for a smartphone's performance in as practiced a shape as possible.

1. Security with Google Play Protect

Security has always been a main concern for Google, as the public perception tends to place Android as a less secure platform than iOS. With the launch of Google Play Protect, Google wants to dispense that perception. Every day Google scans all the apps present on every Android device (~50 billion/day). They disable or outright remove any app which is flagged for causing security problems. Google want to make this procedure visible to the public and hence, they've launched the Google Play Protect app. A user tin launch the app and see the result of the scan of all the apps on his devices.

2. Faster Kick and App Loading Time

Android O brings major improvements to the platform's performance. Android O running devices volition kick twice as fast, when compared to electric current devices. Besides, the app load fourth dimension has been reduced significantly. The faster app loading fourth dimension is due to change in the Bone itself and hence, information technology will be applicable for all the apps nowadays on our smartphones.

iii. Wise Limits

Apps utilise a lot of data and resources while running in the background. This slows down the functioning of a smartphone and drains its battery very quickly.  Android O wants to cease this mismanagement of resource and battery life by introducing "Wise Limits". Basically, the Bone puts a sensible limit to the amount of system resources an app can utilise, thereby decreasing the groundwork bleed and increasing the operation and battery life.

iv. Project Treble

Google has been trying to fix the trouble of Android fragmentation and updates since a long fourth dimension and they have come up with a new solution dubbed "Project Treble". The projection, role of Android O, aims to make Android updates faster. Nosotros have already talked about Project Treble in detail, so check that out.

Autonomously from the aforementioned changes and features, the get-go programmer preview of Android O also introduced another changes. You can read our detailed article on the same.

5. Update Graphics Commuter via Play Store

Graphics commuter updates from the Play Store might get to be 1 of the showtime implementations of "Projection Treble". Since chipset makers will be able to push faster updates thank you to the "vendor implementation layer", updating the graphics driver can happen through Play Store itself. This will also permit chipset manufacturers to send app-specific drivers update to solve glitches relating to that specific app. The only caveat of this characteristic is that it will only work on the devices which are shipped with Android O.

6. Streamlined SMS Authentication

SMS authentication is imperative to our security, as it is used by our banks, messaging services, and even Google itself. Although important, SMS hallmark still suffers from two major problems. First, nosotros demand to grant permissions to apps to be able to read our messages when they only demand it at the time of authentication. This is a security flaw in itself. Secondly, the transmission entry of code is not convenient, as sometimes yous take to exit the app, call up the code and then come back to paste information technology to piece of work. Besides, information technology creates a lot of clutter in the messaging app.

Android O is aiming to solve this problem past introducing a feature for app developers called PendingIntent. All nosotros users need to sympathise nigh this feature is that now when an app requires an authentication, it will create a unique token which will be directly send to the application itself. You will never see a message in your inbox nor y'all will have to call up and manually enter the token.

SEE ALSO: Android O vs Android Nougat: What Has Inverse?

Excited for Android O?

Android O is bringing a lot to the tabular array. Of course, there are some features which are missing and information technology would be corking to take them. A system wide nighttime mode was what I was wishing for. Still there's a lot to like and I'k happy with Google's latest offering.

Do you similar Android O? Tell us the features y'all love and the features you wanted in Android O in the comments section beneath.

Source: https://beebom.com/android-o-whats-new/

Posted by: murrayclarand.blogspot.com

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