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Top 10 new features of Android 10

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Android 10 Android 10 is the first Android release without a desert name. But this does not prevent Google from adding many new features of Android 10.

This Android 10 guide explains the top 10 new features you can enjoy on your Android phones with Android 10 update. These new features include the dark mode, Live Caption, new navigation gestures, all sensors off, critical update from Google directly, focus mode, emergency button, privacy control, location access controls, and WiFi sharing.

Dark mode: the best Android 10 new feature

The dark mode is not new.

In Android Pie (Android 9), Google added the dark mode (dark theme). But it is only system-wide.

For example, the Settings page in Android Pie is still always white even you enable the dark mode on the phone.

As a new feature of Android 10, Dark mode is now system-wide, and Google leaves no stone unturned.

All system pages, including the Settings page, will use the dark theme once you enable the dark mode on Android 10.

You can enable/disable dark mode from Settings — Display — Display– Dark theme on Android 10.

By default, Google also added a quick setting button for the dark mode as shown below.

Android 10 new features: dark mode, all sensors off

Live Caption

The Live Caption can automagically caption any videos, podcasts,  and audio messages with one tap.

Internet connection is not needed. Everything will be done locally on the phone.

So, many users think the Live Caption is one of the most practical new features in Android 10.

But this feature is not available in Android 10 now.  Google said it would be released later, very likely with the release of Pixel 4.

Pixel phones will first get this feature through a firmware update. Other Android phones will get this feature early next year through Google’s udpate.

New Navigation Gestures on Android 10

Android 10 now allows you to eliminate the navigation buttons.

In Android Pie, you still have the Home and Back buttons when using the navigation gestures as explained in detail in this guide.

In Android 10, Home, Back, and Recents (Overview) buttons are all gone if you choose to use the new navigation gestures.

Probably navigation gesture is one of the most controversial new features of Android 10.

Anyway, if you choose to use “full” navigation gestures on Android 10, you need to know these Android 10 navigation gestures:

  • Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to Home screen.
… Read the rest

How to use the screenshot shortcut to take a screenshot on Android Pie?

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How to use the screenshot shortcut to take a screenshot on Android Pie?Android Pie (Android 9) added a new screenshot shortcut so that it is very easy to take screenshots in smartphones with Android Pie.

This Android Pie guide explains where to find the screenshot shortcut in Android Pie and how to use it to take a screenshot in Android Pie.

Why you may need the screenshot shortcut?

In all Android phones, the default method of taking a screenshot is pressing and holding the power button and volume down button simultaneously.

Using this button combination to take screenshots works on all Android phones and tablets. regardless of the version of Android.  Even on Amazon Fire tablets, you can take a screenshot with the power button and volume down button although Amazon tried very hard to de-Google in the Fire OS (which is based on Android).

The method is simple and easy if you “master” it.

The tricky part is that you need to press and hold the two buttons “simultaneously“. It means

  • If you hold the power button too early, you get the power menu (power button options).
  • If you hold the volume down button too early, you get the volume settings.

For many users who take screenshots only occasionally,  it is hard to control the timing.

So, a shortcut for taking screenshots is one of the most popular features in some Android phones.

Now, Google finally introduced the screenshot shortcut to take a screenshot on Android Pie.

Both new users and experienced users will find it very useful. Even your grandma can easily take a screenshot with the screenshot shortcut.

Where is the screenshot shortcut in Android Pie?

After hearing about this new Android Pie feature, Some Android Pie users tried to find the screenshot shortcut in the quick settings.

Of course, they cannot find it.

The screenshot shortcut is in power menu (aka power button options).

You can hold the power button for about 2 seconds to get the power menu /power button options as shown below.

Where is the screenshot shortcut in Android Pie

By default, the shortcut to screenshot is enabled in the power button options. Stock Android does not offer a standard method to hide/unhide it.

However, some Android manufactures may customize this feature and let you enable or disable the button.

How to use the screenshot shortcut to take a screenshot on Android Pie?

To take a screenshot, you just need to call out the power button options, then tap Screenshot as shown above to take a screenshot for the screen (without the power button options).… Read the rest

What’s new in Android Oreo 8.1: Android Oreo 8.1 vs Android Oreo 8.0

New features and enhancements introduced in Android Oreo 8.1

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Android Oreo 8.1 vs Android Oreo 8.0There are two versions of Android Oreo: Android Oreo 8.1 vs Android Oreo 8.0.

Google released Android Ore0 8.1 in December 5, 2017,  in less than 4 months after the release of Android Oreo (8.0).

There are a couple of new features and enhancements (as well as bug fixes) in Android Oreo 8.1, compared to Android Oreo 8.0.

This Android Oreo guide will show you the new features in Android Oreo 8.1. For new features in Android Oreo 8.0, please check this post.

Android Ore0 8.1 new features: #1. Neural Networks API

With Android Oreo 8.1 update, Android API level climbs to 27 with considerable changes for developers, especially in machine learning.

Neural network processing, which provided a much faster computation than with general-use CPU alone, is one of the most prominent features in Android Ore0 8.1.

Neural Networks API provides a base layer of functionality for higher-level machine learning frameworks. It can be called by machine learning libraries, frameworks, or relevant tools so that developers can train their models off-device and deploy them on Android devices.

With Android Neural Networks API, apps can run computationally intensive operations on mobile phones and to support on-device inferencing including classifying images, predicting user’s behaviour and selecting appropriate responses to search query.

Because inferencing is on-device, all your data are kept on the phone. So, it is unnecessary to worry about the privacy issues.

Android Ore0 8.1 new features: #2. Android Oreo (Go edition)

Android Go is a smaller and lightweight version of Android targeted for more entry-level smartphones.  It will complement Android One, which targets for middle range devices with pure Android experiences.

Android Oreo (Go edition) is the first release of Android Go. Some Android Go devices will be available in the market in 2018.

Compared to stock Android, Android Go is optimized for smartphones with lower specs:

  • Memory optimizations: memory usage is improved to ensure that apps can still run efficiently on devices with 1GB or less RAM.
  • Optimised Google Apps:  Google apps are redesigned for lighter updates and optimised to ensure they use less memory, storage space and mobile data. This allows them to create more space and at the same time improving the phone’s performance.
  • Google Play: All apps will still be available on devices running on Android Go.  But Google Play in Android Go would highlight apps that are specifically optimised for Android Go.

We will review some Android Go phones once they are available.… Read the rest