Android 10 is now official, the first version of the operating system with a non-dessert name. The update is promised for other Android phones over the next several weeks and has rolled out to Pixel phone yesterday.
We reported earlier about Nokia’s commitment to having the latest Android version across their entire portfolio and confirmed the new Android 10 OS to arrive on their entire smartphones by the start of Q4.
Aside from the new features and tools, Let’s have a look at the top 6 highlights of what the new Android 10 software brings:
Going dark
The new dark theme is likely to be one of the most popular features of the update. You’ll be able to choose a dark theme for your Android phone, but it’s not just about the aesthetic. If you’re in a battery saver mode, the phone will automatically go dark to help preserve the juice.
You can as well apply this dark theme for your Google Calendar and Photos app – Gmail comes later.
Smarter smart reply
Google’s smart reply feature now works across all messaging apps and is built into the Android notification system. Powered by on-device machine learning, Google can help predict your next action. Should a friend send a notification with an address, for instance, a smart reply would let you tap to open that address in Google Maps.
Live captioning
Google is adding a live captioning for almost all the audio on your device which automatically generates captions in real-time for any audio playing on your phone, including phone calls, videos and podcasts. The upside is that it works well even when you’re offline and it will be a huge feature on Android 10.
It’s an accessibility benefit for sure, but Google says Android users might use the feature when they want to watch a video in public but don’t have headphones.
Expanding Family Link
During the past few years, Google introduced tools to help you manage your kid’s smartphone addiction and, perhaps, your own. You could manage usage on some devices through what is called Family Link. Parents can as well review apps children install on their devices as well as their usage.
And with last year’s version of Android (Pie), Google focused on a slate of “Digital Wellbeing” tools, for all of us who can’t seem to stop glancing at the screens.
Focus mode on Android 10
We are all too easily distracted by apps and notifications on our phones. With the new Focus Mode feature that is also part of “Digital Wellbeing tools, you can choose the apps you find distracting, at least some of the time (like emails, news), and pause them with a single tap.
If you’re somehow lured by such apps anyway, Android will serve up a notice to remind you that you were hoping to focus elsewhere. Focus mode is still in beta for now on Android 10 but Google is allowing users to sign up to beta test the feature.
Privacy updates on Android 10
According to Google, Android 10 has nearly 50 new built-in privacy and security features. A few worth noting: You’ll now be able to share location data with apps while you’re using them but also receive a reminder when an app is accessing your location when you’re not actively engaging with it.
Moreover, Google Play can now dispatch important security and privacy fixes in the same way that apps update themselves. You won’t need to wait for a full update to the operating system to receive such fixes.
And Google has added a Privacy section under Settings, with controls for your web and app activity and ad settings.
