It would appear that Google is done with Nougat. The search giant introduced its latest operating system (Android O) at the I/O conference last month. The beta is out already and the company even listed all the features set to arrive with the new update. Currently, the update is available for numerous smartphones, including Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X, Pixel C, Nexus 6P and Nexus Player. Let’s take a look at what these so-called features are:
Improved battery life
Google introduced a new ‘Doze mode’ with Android Marshmallow back in 2015. An improved version of the same arrived with Nougat in 2016.
Now with Android O, the company is promising the ability to preserve more battery than ever before. The software will continue to limit the unnecessary activities of all the apps that are eating up the smartphone’s battery. These activities include unnecessary broadcasting of notifications, carrying out background services and delivering minute location updates. As reported by TechCrunch, Android O is going to double the runtime of smartphones as compared to Nougat.
Greater control over notifications.
Google has added a new feature called, ‘Notification channels,’ that allows users to customize multiple categories of notifications specific to any app. In other words, users now have the freedom to block unnecessary notifications and ensure that only those essential to the daily routine are given importance.
Users will also be able to change the color of the notification pop-up.
This is especially useful to segregate the notifications of different apps from each other. Users will now be able to continue watching video content even while navigating on a different channel. The video will continue to play in a smaller window while the user is surfing the internet.
This is especially useful when users are watching a YouTube clip but also want to read their emails, for example. This feature is already available on Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones but is nice to know that this feature will be available in the Android O.
Icons that can adapt
Google has added a new ability to its software that allows users to create ‘adaptive icons.’ In other words, users can now choose from a multiple of shape options to create a theme according to their own preferences. The standard ‘Circle,’ and ‘Square’ are typically available. However, there are other shapes that users can choose from too.
