AI battery management, simpler navigation and more!
Google’s yearly I/O developer conference kicked off today in their HQ, and as expected part of the program was the unveiling of the next iteration of the Android operating system, dubbed Android P. The new update leverages heavily on Google’s mastery on AI, as well as quality of life improvements to your digital well being.
Machine learning makes your phone smarter and last longer
Google’s been applying their machine learning expertise to everything from smart Gmail replies to photo enhancement and sorting, and now they’re applying the same sort of smarts to the Android operating system. Android P is smart enough to detect what apps and services you use the most, turning off seldom used apps that unnecessarily drain your battery.
Adaptive Battery, as the new feature is called, results in at least 30 percent reduction in CPU app wakeups, saving your battery life for important things that really matter.
There’s also Adaptive Brightness, which works much like its battery counterpart, but for your screen – analyzing and anticipating where you are and adjusting the brightness of your display accordingly.
Google’s machine learning isn’t just about saving battery life however. App Actions predict what you’re trying to do next. Connecting your headphones to your device will show a prompt asking if you’d like to launch the Spotify app and playlist if that’s been your behaviour in the past. App Actions will show up throughout Android in places like Launcher, Smart Text Selection, the Play Store, the Google Search app and the Assistant.
A slightly revamped navigation for a simpler UI
Google’s also tweaking how you navigate Android, and is introducing new, iPhone X-like swipe-based navigation system. Google’s reasoning for the revamp is the fact that phones are growing taller, making it harder to navigate with one hand.
A single home button is all you need, where you can swipe up and around to see full-screen previews of your previous apps. You’ll also now be able to select text in Overview, which makes it easier for you to copy and paste addresses, phone numbers and the like to whatever app you need.
Time limits on apps and notifcations
Google’s trying to make you more cognizant of the time you spend staring down on your screen, and has developed new tools to make you aware of how much time you’re actually using your phone. The new Dashboard does that, giving you a detailed look at how much time you spend on your device which includes time in Apps, as well as how many times you unlock your phone and the amount of notifications you’ve received.
A new App timer function also allows you to set time limits on apps, applying grey scale coloration to app icons to de-emphasize them on your screen. The new Do Not Disturb mode makes sure your screen stays dark during times you’d rather spend in the real world.
Google’s upcoming Android P update has so much more in store for users, and if you’re an owner of the 11 phones that’s eligible to try out the new update, you can discover for yourself what Google has been doing these past few months for the mobile operating system.
