Android P Might Get A Nutty Name ‘Pistachio’! New Features To Look At
Published On - July 24, 2018
There were lots of assumptions going around regarding the naming of the latest smartphone operating system, Android P. But, finally, to everyone’s surprise, an internal source breaks the mystery on it stating that Android P stands for ‘Pistachio’!
Yes, you’ve heard it right! After long-time association with the sweet tooth, i.e. right from Cupcake, Jelly Bean, KitKat or Oreo, it’s now nuts over the desserts for the Android!
Awaiting to be released on this August, Google has still not affirmed the name of the upcoming smartphones OS. Yet, putting an end to all the fuss about the Android P name, it was revealed that P might be called as ‘Pistachio’. So, named on nuts instead of desserts like the previous versions, there is a whole new touch to the features too.
There’s no room for doubt that app development will get one-step ahead with Android P release.
From new features to extension of battery life, Android P is offering it all!
We as mobile app developers at GetAProgrammer are looking with positive frame of mind at the new features it’s rolling out. Three cornerstones of the Pistachio OS, the Beta version of which is already out now are ‘Simplicity, intelligence and digital wellbeing’. While Android P release date will be probably on the next month, here’re what the smartphone users can see coming up with Android Pistachio.
Advanced user-interface
While there’s a lot of buzz about Android P features, it is deliberately focused on making the mobile experience more efficient and seamless. It uses up machine learning to let users know about the apps usages, optimises memory space for each, and offers apps prediction and slices.
Besides, Pistachio is backed by slick navigation with simple controls for display rotation, volumes, brightness, etc.
Image Source: CNET
New Interactive Dashboard
Android P’s dashboard feature is all-new and is aimed at reducing the addiction to phones for digital wellbeing. It will show how much time a user is spending on different apps, how many times a phone is opened or unlocked, number of notifications received and so forth.
This exclusive initiative along with Do Not Disturb tool, Shush will help users to optimise their daily mobile usage.
Image Source: CNET
Better App shortcuts with App actions
Well, this is one new AI feature introduced in Android P. Taking the Nougat’s App Shortcuts to another level, Google introduced App Actions. It will be suggesting the users on what they should be doing next with their smartphones, and recommend them shortcuts for executing them. For instance, if one views news every morning, he might get a Shortcut next day in the app drawer to other links, video app for news.
Image Source: Androidcentral
Besides, App actions will show users what tasks they have completed in a given time, whether any other device or wearable is connected to the phone and what can be done with it. Like, when a device is synced to Bluetooth headphones, it will open the Playlist app by default.
Video Source: CNET
Brilliant set of Emojis
For avid texters. ‘Emojis’ is life! They speak on behalf of the users and in Android P, there’s more fun in using Emojis. The new emoji set will have nearly 157 emojis including that of superheroes, gender-neutral members.
Image Source: Androidcentral
Notch functionality
Apart from some elementary design modifications and performance upgradation, Android P gives importance to ‘Notch’ function that results in certain improvements in the user-interface. The search bar of the Google will be now at the bottom.
Instead of the trio navigational buttons, there’re now simple gestures. That is, with one single centered button user can just swipe up, swift left or right to switch between activities/apps, see app predictions, slide sideways to see running apps.
To conclude, there are ample of new things rolling in for the smartphones users with major improvements over the Oreo version. Thus, it’s now up to us that how we could leverage the new features to enhance app development and app’s user experiences.
Sneak peak of the devices that can flourish well with Android P and how to get the new updates.
So far, Android P is well compatible with
- Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
- OnePlus 6
- Xiaomi MI MIx 2S
- Vivo X21
- Vivo X21UD
- Nokia 7 Plus
- Oppo R15 Pro
- Essential Phone
- Sony Xperia XZ2
Things to do to upgrade your phone’s OS to Android P.
The most simple way is to enroll the phone’s name in the Android Beta but that is only available for Pixel phones. Installing Android P Beta in other range of devices have different processes. But our concern is about the apps running in the previous versions and currently in Nougat and whether they will work on Android P. Apps owner need to run the preview on a Pixel device or Android Emulator. On installing their app, they can learn about the changes in its behaviour and get compatibility testing at each stage to make it run without any glitches on the P version.
