Android P now available as a public beta, learn what's new

Shawn Knight

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Staff member

Google at its annual I/O developer conference on Tuesday launched a beta version of Android P. If you’ve been keeping up with Google’s latest, you already know that this year’s revision is all about simplifying things through the use of machine learning.

Android P’s Adaptive Battery feature, for example, prioritizes battery power for the apps and services you use most while Adaptive Brightness “learns” how you set the brightness slider in a given environment (isn't this the job of the ambient light sensor?).

App Actions, meanwhile, help advance you to your next task by predicting what you want to do next. Connect your headphones to your phone and Android P can launch an action to resume your Spotify playlist. Slices take that concept even further, providing a “deeper” look into an app by surfacing just the part of it you need at a given time.

Google also wants to help you better manage screen time in Android P. App Timer will let you set limits on app usage; when the set timer is almost up, Android P will notify you then gray out the app’s icon to “remind you of your goal.” A new gesture – laying your phone face-down on the table (but that’s how I always lay my phone down on the table to minimize the risk of damage to the screen) – will trigger Android P’s Do Not Disturb mode while the new Wind Down feature will fade the screen to grayscale at your chosen bedtime.

Other quick-hit features include improved notification management, simplified volume controls and multiple security and privacy improvements.

Its official dessert-themed codename is still pending although I’m partial to Android 9.0 Popsicle.

If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you can give the Android P beta a shot today so long as you own a compatible device like the Google Pixel, the Sony Xperia XZ2, the Nokia 7 Plus, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, the Oppo R15 Pro, the Vivo X21, the Essential PH-1 or the upcoming OnePlus 6. Oddly enough, none of Samsung’s phones made the list.

Should you decide to give Android P a try, note that you’ll certainly be in the minority of users running a “new” version of Google’s mobile OS. Android 8.0 Oreo reached general availability more than eight months ago yet according to Google’s developer dashboard, distribution sits at a paltry 4.6 percent. By comparison, iOS 11 shipped nearly a month later yet is found on 76 percent of devices.

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I vote for Popsicle, reading at Google they said this is likely the name, but they wouldn't give it away. Cons included that Brits call a popsicle an ice lolly or an ice pop.
 
Thanks Google again you have proven to me you just don't fix the OS just release another off shoot of the same OS with some more features, but have you solved the issues that plague all of us today on Oreo 8.0. So here we go again Android 9.0 code name not announce officially. No transparent Tech out yet either. Still have the old tech but might be a lot thinner less bezel more screen viewing.

Oreo 8.0 introduce some new features and I see they've improved the system multi-tasking, switching between active screens with a scroll to the left and to the right.

Need to fix Google Assistant so she can know what you really want to ask her instead of her trying to guess.


Example:
Okay Google Play a Soft Track of any Music selection. By default there is no Google Music object/app pre-installed by google. Got to download it. Once you do you ask Okay Google to play the music track she does it. If you swear at her she'll come back to you with a direct word. Funny how they had programmed that feature into her.

Voice Dictation Example: I made Communication with her... I get: I made Medicine with her...

Google Maps vs Honda Navi which one gets it right toss-up Which maps are most updated wins. But Google Maps directions with voice prompts make a u-turn if possible if you can't do it? Google Maps will say take the next left or take the next right. Where as Honda Navi won't say a word until you get to the closest connection.

So Android 9.0 coming out where Oreo 8.0 and 8.01 for Google Pixel must have some issues present that can't be fixed and they have to come out with Android 9.0.. Let's see if anything did get fix. Improvement would be to put back screen rotation on or off feature nearby instead of hiding it under settings. Making the flash light come on if you shake the cell hard. This feature is in Moto coding. Not in Oreo 8.0.

As Android Developer since 2010 it's just amazing me how Google thinks about Android (aka Linux) . Lets not forget Linux now. Android hot name. So many OS versions of Android since 2009 though. Gingerbread was very popular now forgotten.
 
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