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Android 12's new toggle design is big and bold and we're not sure what to think of it
But it's good for accessibility
This first developer preview has a ton of developer-facing changes, but fewer visual tweaks than we expected to see, given prior leaks. However, there are some notable visual changes, like these new toggles that appear in some sections of Settings. Weirdly, they don't replace the old toggles everywhere, but they are live in a few spots.
It was inevitable that Google's music streaming service would be video-focused once placed in the hands of YouTube, but plenty of folks interested in music have zero interest in watching the associated video. Thankfully for them, The YouTube Music app now lets you seamlessly switch between music videos and plain 'ol music with a single toggle, and you can even disable videos entirely by default.
Bluetooth section and NFC toggle in Android P DP4 moved to 'Connection preferences' settings submenu
One of the more minor additions to the previous Android P DP3 release was a series of Bluetooth changes, including an aptly descriptive "Previously connected devices" section and a reorganization for the Bluetooth toggle into its own Bluetooth section. Now DP4 has further reorganized both that Bluetooth subsection and the NFC toggle into the "Connection preferences" subsection.
When Android P DP2 debuted, we posted about a new rotation icon that showed up when the phone is rotated with auto-rotate off, but neglected to mention that the 'Allow Home screen rotation' toggle in the Pixel Launcher had disappeared. If you were confused by that, you'll be pleased to know that DP3 has brought that toggle back.
Quite a lot of phones these days use a laser to get an idea of depth for focusing purposes, rather than only relying on phase or contrast detection. That includes the Pixels, which hide theirs beneath the trademark top rear glass window. Well, Android P introduces a toggle to enable or disable that laser, if you need it.
Calibrated color has been a hot topic recently for both Android and the Pixel 2 phones, and the Android 8.1 developer previews indicate more changes on the horizon. As of the current preview images, the "Picture color mode" sRGB toggle in Developer options has been removed. This change makes devices like the OG Pixels and last-generation Nexuses match the new Pixel 2 and 2XL, which similarly lack the setting since a calibrated mode is the default.
As any regular AP reader will know, YouTube tends to test little server-side changes in its Android app quite often. The latest one we've spotted appears to have been in the pipeline for a while now - a granular mobile data usage setting in place of the standard HD toggle.
At the moment, the default Google camera app allows a staggering one option for a helpful photo grid: on or off. As happy as we are that it's there at all (if you're wondering, it's very good for getting a straight perspective and a balanced composition), we'd like to see some more options. And we'll get them sometime soon! We've managed to snag a preview of a future update for the APK, and while it's not exactly mind-blowing, it does add some very welcome tweaks to the grid.
Stock Android may not make a special noise when plugged in to charge over USB, but it does play a tone when your device comes in contact with a wireless charger. Until now though, it hasn't been possible to disable this sound without adjusting the system volume. In Android M that will apparently change, as a new toggle joins the lineup in "Other sounds."
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We managed to snag confirmation of the upcoming 5.1 update to Lollipop just a few hours ago, but our tipster has already found one of the more obvious changes to the user interface. Google has tweaked the behavior of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings toggles/widgets from the Lollipop Quick Settings menu to allow users to connect to networks or devices without going into the full-page settings menu.
Releasing the L preview was an important leap forward for Android as an ecosystem, but, outside of a single almost meaningless update, we're probably not going to see any new builds up until the final L release. I can sort of see why the Android team doesn't want to put out builds with incremental fixes, saving all the improvements for a grand finale unveiling, so in the meantime, any glimpse at their progress is very interesting to us as well as developers working on porting their apps to adhere to the new Material Design guidelines.
You might remember mention of a new AT&T service called Toggle last month, a service which promised to allow enterprise users to access corporate email, calendars and contacts securely from whatever Android device they choose to purchase, while separately maintaining their personal data. AT&T's official Toggle app hit the Android Market today, heralding the beginning of the service, and bringing hugely useful functionality to enterprise users concerned with keeping their business and personal activities separate.
One thing I have gotten used to as a CyanogenMod user is the notification power widget. It's so convenient that I have rejected the use of alternative ROMs over the last several months because it's something that they lacked. For those of you that want this feature, but would prefer not to root your phone, you're in luck: XDA-Developers member 'j4velin' has created an app that does just that.
Ever wondered how much RAM is available on your phone? What about the internal storage space available? Or the precise signal strength? If you answered yes to any of these questions, System Info Widget may be the perfect widget for you and your inner geek.
Even though I have 7 home screens on my EVO 4G, I still sometimes find myself cramped for space. I have a whole bunch of apps and shortcuts that I would like to have instant access to. Enter Multicon.
Do you like Android’s native Power Control widget? Are you unable to go through the day without using it more times than you can count? Do you wish it had a few more buttons (for things like Airplane Mode, or a flashlight) and that they could all fit in one row? Then you’ll probably be very interested in ExtendedControls—an app which takes the wonderful idea that is the Power Control widget, and turns it into a supercharged multi-tool.