_edited.png){kind=small}
One of the most popular Operating Systems, Android, builds its new version, roughly around 9 months to one year after the release of the previous version. Since about four years, google has started this trend of offering a public beta offering until it is stable enough to be rolled out publicly. Through this beta offering, developers help the company by testing the operating systems for bugs. And also, the general public gets an idea about the features of the next release.
This year, Google released the beta version of Android 8, known as Android Oreo, jumping up from the Android 7, Android Nougat. This new version has introduced a number of new features to improve the overall Android experience.
You May Also Like:
Some Awesome Features:
We shall now briefly look at its features:
One of the most visible changes in the interface of Android Oreo compared to the Android Nougat is in the Quick Settings Area. Android Oreo has opted for a very light look. The color shade now of the Quick Settings Area is light grey and white, as opposed to the dark grey and black shades in the previous versions.
Then there is the ‘Settings’ app. In the Android Nougat, a navigation drawer had been added allowing freely moving between different apps. This has been ditched by the Android Oreo but now the individual sections of Settings have become more detailed by providing an overview. The settings are now grouped together under sections.
This change in ‘Settings’ app can be seen in the battery section, which now gives details like the time remaining before the phone discharges and the time when the phone was last charged.
Another amazing change introduced is the Notification Channels which enable an app to classify its notifications based on how important they are. Instead of blocking all notifications of an app, you can block the individual channels. Through this the unimportant notifications of an app will be blocked but the critical and important notifications from the same app will keep on coming.
Then an option of snoozing a notification has been introduced. You can do this by swiping a notification which will reveal the snooze button. Tap on it and that particular notification has been snoozed off, meaning you shall be reminded of it later. This is a particularly useful feature for many of us who after seeing a notification, plan to respond to it later and then totally forget about it. Relatable, isn’t it.
Android Oreo has introduced the feature of adding custom shortcuts to the lock screen, which makes accessing them easier.
A new way of interacting with the apps has been introduced, through Notification Dots. Whenever a notification is received, a dot will appear on the icon of that app. Pressing that app for long will enable you to see the detailed notification.
Android Oreo provides you the option to download apps from places other than the Play Store. You could do this in the Nougat as well but now it has become even more secure. You will be asked to give permission to each source from where you obtain the APK from.
To improve the battery life, Oreo has limited the background processes. Apps won’t be allowed to exist freely as background processes for long. After some time of existing in the background, they will notify the user of whatever is happening in the background. Now facebook can’t keep on running in the background. This is expected to greatly save battery life.
Another interesting feature is the multi-window. Oreo allows you to use two apps simultaneously by splitting your screen. You can watch a YouTube video and at the same time browse the web. Exciting, isn’t it.
Comments