The new developer preview for Android P is rolling out with tweaks and new features galore. It has some goodies inside that Google showed off during the keynote, as well as some improvements to the features we saw in DP1. The new Pixel Launcher (vQ-4753642) build is a bit of both. The rotation lock button is more useful, and the new app actions are available in the app drawer.
Read More
Android TV is a platform with a lot of potential, but also one that needs a little TLC in order to bring users the best possible experience. We've already told you about some of the ways Google's looking to put things back on the right track, like working with the manufacturers of Android TV hardware to ease software development and see that devices get the latest features as soon as possible. Now we're learning a little more about how some of that upcoming functionality promises to make setting up a new Android TV system a much more pleasant experience.
Read More
Google has cycled through various versions of Do Not Disturb functionality going all the way back to Lollipop. It was pretty complicated back then, but DND in Oreo is straightforward—DND keeps your phone from making noise. DND in the second Android P developer preview changes Do Not Disturb mode substantially. It blocks both audio and visual distractions by hiding most notifications on your device.
Read More
Android P is packed with visual changes. Some of them are more popular than others, but Google has certainly been pushing out a ton of tweaks to the platform's design, especially when it comes to Android's animations. And the latest DP2 builds released just yesterday during I/O pack in a pretty slick new heads-up notification animation.
Read More
Probably the most divisive new feature in the second developer preview of Android P is gesture navigation. The optional 'Swipe up on Home button' setting removes the Recents button and replaces the Home button with a pill. Swiping up from the pill triggers the new Recents (also known as Overview) interface, and the apps are now arranged horizontally — much like the current behavior of iOS.
Read More
In the new Android P Developer Preview, Google added a new API for biometric authentication. Dubbed BiometricPrompt, uninspiring as that may seem, this new API replaces the FingerprintDialog that we got in the last DP. Instead of being limited to one method of confirming a user, BiometricPrompt has support for face, iris, and even in-display fingerprint sensors.
Read More
Android P is introducing some changes to the way battery life is handled. We've already reported how the battery saver no longer turns the status and nav bars orange, and told you about the new Adaptive battery setting announced yesterday. But DP2 brought with it one small modification that seems a little like change for the sake of change.
Read More
Android P's Developer Preview 1 introduced one feature that we'd all wanted for a long time: screenshot editing. It started when you took a screenshot by offering an Edit button, then by picking the new Markup app, it let you edit the image easily: crop it, annotate it, highlight parts of it, then save it to share. With P DP2, the functionality is improving on all fronts.
Read More
We're still combing through all the small and major changes in Android P DP2, and one of the things we noticed is that the Alarm Quick Setting icon that was added in DP1 disappeared, but that doesn't mean you can't see your upcoming alarms anymore. In its lieu, Android now displays the next alarm on top of the expanded Quick Settings and brightness slider. But that's not the only thing you'll see there.
Read More
I think it's safe to say that gesture navigation in Android P's DP2 is quite divisive. Ever since it was leaked yesterday then officially announced, we've seen a variety of reactions going from complete disdain to an all-out welcoming embrace. Gestures are still an option, so if you don't like them, you can disable them. But if you do enjoy them and are just a little bit annoyed by a couple of their shortcomings, we have discovered two solutions to their most glaring problems.
Read More
Loading ...
