Android 9 Pie

276 'Android 9 Pie' stories February 2018 - March 2018

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Digital Wellbeing

How should Android P treat the status bar on non-notch devices? [Poll]

Justin Duino Mar 8 2018 - 5:55 pm PT

As rumored, Android P is adding support for phones that have a display notch similar to the Essential Phone and Asus ZenFone 5. Unfortunately, this means handsets without the notch will suffer due to design changes made in part to support phones with the oddly designed displays.

Do you think phones without the notch should retain Oreo’s status bar style or should Android P’s design choices be universal on all devices?

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Android P DP1: There’s a subtle new Battery Saver w/ more scheduling options

Abner Li Mar 8 2018 - 1:13 pm PT

Android P Developer Preview 1 brings new features and refinements to various settings. The Battery menu is one of them, with the Battery Saver no longer turning status and navigation bars bright orange. Meanwhile, users have much more control in determining when the feature automatically enables.

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Android P DP1: Native support for up to 5 simultaneously connected Bluetooth devices

Ben Schoon Mar 8 2018 - 12:58 pm PT

Bluetooth’s functionality works hand-in-hand with software, and with Android P, Google is potentially bringing some big upgrades to this functionality.

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Android P DP1: New “Lockdown” feature allows for temporarily increasing lockscreen security

Kyle Bradshaw Mar 8 2018 - 11:58 am PT

Over the years, Android has added many ways to make it easier to securely unlock your phone. However, some argue that these features allow intruders easier access into your device. With Android P, Google is taking a step in the opposite direction by introducing an interesting countermeasure.

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Android P DP1: Refined vibration controls in Settings

Kyle Bradshaw Mar 8 2018 - 10:09 am PT

The latest major Android update is chock full of big changes, but sometimes the finer details are worth noting. Android P includes one such quality of life change with the ability to adjust vibration strength.

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Android P DP1: New nav bar button enables app rotation even w/ auto-rotate disabled

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 5:30 pm PT

Android P is full of big changes, but it also has a ton of really handy minor tweaks. One that we just found out about tonight is the ability to rotate apps, even when auto-rotate is disabled.

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Android P DP1: iOS-esque ‘text zoom’ tool is now available w/ cursor for text selection

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 5:27 pm PT

There are a lot of really good changes in Android P that are minimal, but sometimes, those are the best ones. As we continue digging through Google’s latest update, we’ve discovered that there’s a new “text zoom” tool available…

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Android P DP1: Google ruins notch-less screens by stopping status bar notification icons midway

Abner Li Mar 7 2018 - 5:07 pm PT

With Android P, Google officially acknowledged the pervasive, upcoming trend of displays with notches. The OS allows apps to take full advantage of unique screen, while the time has been moved to the left-hand side. However, for now, this support is coming at the detriment of existing non-notch phones.

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Android P DP1: Pattern unlock now hides the trail as you swipe

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 4:27 pm PT

Pattern unlock has long been a part of Android, but in recent years it hasn’t been much of a focus thanks to the arrival of biometrics. In Android P, though, Google is giving it a little love…

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Android P DP1: Google moved the clock to the left side to accommodate notched displays

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 4:11 pm PT

There are a lot of things that were changed in Android P’s first developer preview, but if you’ve followed any coverage or installed it for yourself, the first one you probably noticed was the clock’s new location…

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Android P DP1: New contextual transitions slide into Android’s latest update

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 3:01 pm PT

Cheesy headlines aside, Android P packs a lot of fantastic visual changes from a new notification tray and quick settings, to a colorful new settings menu. One of my favorite tweaks, though, has proven the new transitions…
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Android P DP1: Custom overlays such as Substratum no longer work

Justin Duino Mar 7 2018 - 2:53 pm PT

Last year, Android Oreo came with the Overlay Manager Service (OMS) built-in. With this and the Substratum theming engine, users were able to change the look of almost every aspect of their phone without needing to have root. Unfortunately, it looks like Android P removed this…

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Android P DP1: Wi-Fi quick settings add up/download indicator, Metered preferences

Abner Li Mar 7 2018 - 2:34 pm PT

Android has long been aware when you’re connected to a metered network, such as a phone-based Wi-Fi hotspot. With Android P, users are able to manually set a classification, while there are several other changes to Wi-Fi in quick settings.

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Android P DP1: Google adds a screenshot shortcut to the power menu

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 1:43 pm PT

There are a lot of big changes in Android P, but sometimes the little tweaks are the best. One of those little tweaks is a new way to take a screenshot…

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Android P DP1: Volume slider shifted to side of display w/ shortcut for ringer volume, better Bluetooth headphone control

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 1:34 pm PT

Android P’s first developer preview has changed a lot of what we’ve come to know and love on the OS, and we’re still finding a lot more. One of the most notable changes Google has made so far regards the volume slider, as it’s been shifted from the top of the display to the side.

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google nexus 6p

Google drops support for Nexus 5X and 6P in Android P Preview, Pixel C also dropped

Stephen Hall Mar 7 2018 - 1:09 pm PT

It feels like it was just yesterday that I dropped my Nexus 6P on the concrete getting out of my car. On that day in 2016, I put my Nexus 6P to rest — thankfully only for a few weeks before I got my Pixel. But after many deaths it has already endured, Nexus is dying yet again today. The latest major release of Android, Android P, will never be released on the platform.

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Android P DP1: Chrome-like ‘Feature Flags’ enable in-development UIs, functionality

Abner Li Mar 7 2018 - 12:55 pm PT

Android P revamps the Settings app again and introduces a number of changes. One of the new options is called “Feature Flags” and is available under Developer options. Similar to Chrome Flags, users can enable in-development features and interfaces.

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Android P DP1: Settings menu gets a colorful redesign w/ new pop-out windows

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 12:33 pm PT

Google Pixel Settings

Google has made quite a few big new changes in the newly revealed Android P, and one that jumped out to us immediately came in the form of the settings menu.

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Android P DP1: Updated easter egg has trippy changing colors

Justin Duino Mar 7 2018 - 12:29 pm PT

With the release of the first Developer Preview for Android P, we have been given a new easter egg. Of course, Google doesn’t want to give away what P will stand for, so it has placed a ‘trippy’ P image that changes color every time you look at it.

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Android P DP1: Ambient Display adds battery indicator, lockscreen date gets redesigned

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 11:56 am PT

Android P officially arrived today, and it packs quite a few big changes within. One area where we’ve noticed a few slight tweaks is on the lockscreen and always-on display, so let’s take a closer look at those…

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Android P DP1: Redesigned notification shade arrives w/ new rounded look, redesigned quick settings, and smart replies

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 11:46 am PT

Google today officially took the wraps off of Android P. While, so far, this update isn’t the biggest visually, there is one massive change front and center — the notification shade and quick settings menu.

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Android P DP1: ‘Markup’ is a built-in screenshot editor w/ drawing & cropping tools

Abner Li Mar 7 2018 - 11:39 am PT

Android P Developer Preview 1 is rolling out today with a number of new features. One of them is a built-in screenshot editor called “Markup,” with basic controls for doodling and cropping.

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How to simulate a display cutout / notch on Android P Developer Preview 1

Justin Duino Mar 7 2018 - 11:39 am PT

With the release of Android P Developer Preview 1, Google is letting developers prepare their apps for phones with ‘notches’ by simulating a display cutout on Pixel handsets. Here’s how…

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Here’s where to download Android P system images for Pixel, Pixel 2, Android Beta Program won’t arrive until next preview

Ben Schoon Mar 7 2018 - 10:44 am PT

Android P has gone official today, and if you were hoping to try it out, there’s some good news, and some bad news…

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