The wait is over as Google launched its new Android OS this August, something we all have been eyeing for the last couple months. Android has always been named after sweet treats and though ‘Pie’ does not sound like one of the most coveted ones but it will do the job for us, albeit more efficiently than its predecessors.
For Google Pixel owners, Android Pie has already started rolling out as an over-the-air update across the globe. There is good news too for phones which are enrolled under Android Beta and this includes HMD Global, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Sony mobiles, and OnePlus handsets. The handsets under Android One program too will get a slice of Android Pie. For the rest in the queue, well you guys have to wait for your favorite phone brands to launch new handsets with Android P, and this won’t be till the end of this year.
Well there is a downfall to all this excitement around Android P though, it won’t be launched or upgraded in your device on itself. You have to be a part of the Beta fraternity, which means sign up and have a Pixel device to experience this new OS. But until you can salvage Android Pie let’s dig into what features and miracles it will do to your device once it is upgraded to.
Android P was expected to get a total makeover on navigating system and yes, it is true. You might experience a total jolt in first place, but the goal is not to baffle you but simplify your phone experience. To begin with, forget the home, back and multitasking button that you are used to in your phone. Welcome the Quick Scrub, which is a long Home Screen line and sliding it helps you looking for open apps. You can also swipe up the Home button to look for open apps. Hold the Quick Scrub a little longer and you will open the Google Assistant. The Quick Scrub opens in any app. When you access the open apps, they appear as cards stacked side by side and you can either toggle left or right to access the apps you want to. You can also copy and paste whatever you like from app to app without opening them and just merely toggling through the app cards.
The bottomline is, we are not sure how good or great the whole change is. Do we need this change at all? Or is it worth replacing the previous gesture? If you happen to press the home button a wee longer then Google Assistant opens up instead of letting you navigate between apps. It is more sensitive to the gestures for sure, and perhaps will win hearts in no time. Even if you find it all nonsense you can always switchback to the good old days.
Intelligent OS
Creating intelligent software perhaps is now the biggest goal of tech companies and OS is the foremost place to bestow them and experience what wonders they can do. Manage apps as you are needing to use them and turn off background app actions to better use the battery. This feature is called Adaptive Battery, something Google has been harping about every now and then. At present there runs too many apps in the background eating up the battery life but this feature enables a sustainable way to ensure more battery life. App Actions kind of guides you in using the app and predicts your next steps. Adaptive Brightness is one of the most likeable feature because users love how the phone lighting changes with the ambience but through this the phone does the job all by itself when you enable this feature. It adapts to the surrounding light and does what is best for you. Slices is another intelligent feature where you are given a slice of the app you are looking for perhaps through Google search and lets you access it without opening the app.
There are also other machine learning powered feature like smart text selection, a nice sound when you plug in charger and a nifty volume slider that pops up just beside volume rocker.
The Digital Wellness feature is perhaps one of the most awarding features of Android Pie. It is not there yet but will soon be available from the month of September. The feature kind of guides you towards a holistic use of apps and your mobile device. A dashboard will let you know how much time you are spending after a certain app, will turn on Do Not Disturb Mode, a grayscale mobile screen as set by you and a Wind Down feature that changes the phone screen into a night-light mode.
Google might be all guffaw about its AI and machine learning finesse that it so supposedly stitching into Android Pie, but it is the little differences that will get our attention.
