The top 5 Android features users would actually want to use

Android 8.0 Oreo is here now! Of course, there is enough excitement about what new Google is going to bring in this time. No doubt, once the new OS gets into devices, it will make users lives better than before.  With several noticeable under-the-hood changes, the biggest improvement that Google has made in the new OS is the improved battery life and performance. Oreo also has some other cosmetic and usability features which users will certainly notice.

But hold for a moment. Oreo is only coming to Google Pixels and Nexus phones for now; however, as Google said, many other devices will get the update for Oreo before the end of 2017.

So if you are neither owning Google Pixels nor Nexus, this post will help you learn about the latest changes coming with the updates.

Here are the initial impressions of Oreo:

How faster does it feel?

We tested two Pixel phones side-by-side. One was still running on the Nougat (7.1.2) while other one was updated to the Oreo (8.0.). What we immediately noticed is that the Oreo phone booted up 12 seconds faster. The animation, like swiping down the drawers to see notification shade, looks to be tightening up and, it also gives a feel of speed. But, there was no considerable difference in switching between or launching apps.

The notification drawer in the Oreo is white which looks better than Nougat’s muted gray. You will not notice any big change immediately, but when checking your mobile at night, or in a dimly lit room, the differences are considerably noticeable.

Also, you will see a bit cleaned up settings menu. The items like Apps and Notification have been grouped together, but it’s not much different from the interface of the Nougat.

The Picture-in-picture (PIP) mode

Another useful feature coming with the new version of Android is the Picture-in-picture mode. This will allow users to shrink an app say YouTube app into small and keep it on other.  To shrink a video to the picture-in-picture mode, it should be playing in full screen. Now tap on the home button and resize the box by tapping once to move it around the screen.  Resume the playback from notification shade. You can also check which app does support the PIP mode. To see what apps support Picture-in-picture mode, look for Picture-in-picture inside the settings. There you can choose which app will have this access like, Google Duo, Chrome, or YouTube.

New Camera features

No big changes have been noticed in the camera app excepting the video button which switches the camera between picture mode and video mode.  The new addition to the camera is quite useful for quickly zooming. Now users can double-tap on the screen to zoom in. This is useful when we are taking our own snap.

Also, there is a slight improvement in the HDR processing on the Oreo compared to the Nougat; however, it does not create any considerable difference.

Brand new emoji and say bye to old ones

Android’s blob-style emojis have certainly made a place in the heart of users over the years but sadly, have come to the retirement to give way to more youthful, rounded smiley faces. Also, there is an addition of 70 new emojis like Dracula, T-Rex and a lot more.

Modify notifications

One fine addition to the Oreo is Notification dots. Now every time an app will get the notification, it will start showing a dot over itself to grab the attention of users. Users can either open the app or long press to it to get a peek at what’s the notification is all about. But, if users do not want apps showing up these dots, they can simply switch their notification off.

You can also precisely control these notifications with the use of channels. Take an example of YouTube showing notifications through two channels; download and general. Now, the new OS lets users choose how you want to see these notifications. From the lock screen to the blinking-lights, to showing a single dot or three, users can choose the way they want to show up notifications in their devices.

Autofill is a the best feature

The best thing that Google added to the Oreo is Autofill. No doubt, it’s a life changer feature. Now the Android OS will automatically enter your password when logging into apps, especially if you are using one of the password managers such as LastPass, 1Password or Dashlane.

Other features in the Oreo include improved Bluetooth audio and Wi-Fi Aware Support, etc.

Author Bio :-  Sofia Coppol is a digital marketing expert in Rapidsoft Technologies, a prominent software product development company offering magento development company, mobile app development and product development services across the global. She loves to write on latest web and mobile technology trends, startups and enterprises.