24 new features and changes in Android P you need to know about

Google has released the first developer preview of Android P, bringing with it a ton of new features and improvements. This is a very early look at Android P, and it is very likely that the final version of Android P will introduce some new features and deprecate some features introduced in the current build. However, the first version generally depicts a clear idea: The direction Android is headed. If you’re interested in the latest version of Android, here are 24 new features and changes coming to Android P.

Android P: What’s new?

1. Native support for notch

I hate it when Android manufacturers start following Apple’s lead, even when they introduce stupid design elements. It happened with the headphone jack destruction, and it’ll happen again with the iPhone X’s ugly-looking notch. My feelings aside, Google knows that 2018 will be the year of the notch. So, to help app developers adapt to the notch trend, Google has included a new feature that allows developers to emulate the notch on any Android device .

2. Redesigned quick settings menu

One of the biggest cosmetic changes coming with Android P is the Quick Settings menu. The Quick Settings menu has been repainted with a solid white background and highlighted round icons . Also, instead of showing a paginated view, the menu does not support vertical scrolling.

There are also a number of changes to toggling individual quick settings . For example, Android P will no longer allow extended toggles, turning on Low Power Mode will no longer turn the notification bar orange, and adjusting brightness will animate the Quick Settings slider.

3. Inline images and smart replies in notifications

Android P brings one of the most requested features in Android, the ability to display several past messages in a notification so users can easily get the context of a conversation. Android P also supports inline images and stickers in notifications, and brings smart reply functionality natively to Android.

4. Restricting access to camera and microphone

Suspicions have surfaced that companies like Facebook are eavesdropping on users’ conversations through mobile phone microphones in order to serve ads, making it a priority for Google to address these issues. With Android P, Google introduced a new security feature that prevents idle apps from accessing your smartphone’s sensors, such as the microphone and camera . When an idle app tries to access the microphone, the microphone reports empty audio and all sensor events stop.

5. Multi-camera API

Android P introduces a new multi-camera API that finally lets developers take advantage of multiple camera hardware on smartphones. The new API allows developers to seamlessly access data from all cameras on a smartphone . An obvious application that comes to mind is using both the front and rear cameras simultaneously to obtain multiple reference frames. That said, we’ll have to wait and see how developers leverage this API.

6. New native screenshot editing tools

Android P finally brings the native screenshot editing tools that OEMs like Samsung have offered for years. A new tool called Markup allows users to edit screenshots using a variety of markup tools, including paint, handwriting, text, and more .

7. Redesigned settings page

Apart from the quick settings panel, the other UI element that has received a significant visual improvement is the main settings page. The new settings page has a more organized interface, with added colors to the various settings menus to make them easier to identify, and a round search bar at the top.

8. Improved always-on display and lock screen

Android P also brings some changes to Android’s lock screen and always-on display features. The pattern lock on the lock screen will now start fading as the user traces it. It also shows the battery status at the bottom of the always-on display , which is very convenient.

9. Power menu now offers more features

With Android Oreo, Google introduced a nifty new sliding power menu that launches when you long-press the power button. With Android P, Google is introducing two more toggles to the power menu in addition to the existing restart and power off toggles.

The first is the screenshot toggle, which does exactly what its name suggests. Another new addition is the Enter Lock Down toggle. Turning this on disables biometrics and requires users to enter a PIN or password if they want to unlock their device .

10. Get software upgrades with volume keys

Similar to the power menu, Android P introduces a volume menu that can be accessed by pressing the volume rocker. A new volume menu gives you access to quick shortcuts like media controls and the ability to mute your phone . The menu is not only convenient, but also very nice to look at.

11. Change battery saver mode

Apart from removing the orange color from the notification bar, there are a few more changes to Android P’s battery saver mode. First, you can now schedule Battery Saver mode to turn on when your battery is between 5% and 70% . Previously, users could only schedule Battery Saver mode to start between 5% and 15%. The second change is that the breakdown of battery usage data by app has been removed, which frankly isn’t a welcome change.

12. Improved text selection

Android P also improves the text selection box that pops up when you select a piece of text. The first difference is cosmetic. Pop-up menu button text is no longer uppercase. Then, when you change the selected text, a pop-up window will appear to help you select the text, and an enlarged window will display the highlighted text .

13. Easy switching between different time zones

Android P also allows users to easily switch between time zones. When switching between time zones , you can now select the country first and then the city . Before Android P, changing time zones was a bit of a pain as you had to choose from a list of different cities.

14. Easily switch between landscape and portrait orientation

The new Android P update also allows users to easily switch between landscape and portrait orientation without turning on the rotation toggle . On Android P, when you change the orientation of your phone, a small toggle appears that allows you to switch between landscape and portrait orientation.

15. Enhanced WiFi

Android P brings significant improvements to WiFi connectivity. First, it’s now much easier to mark your WiFi connection as “metered.” A metered connection means the OS treats WiFi as a mobile network, stopping background updates and large file downloads. This feature is very useful if you have a limited WiFi plan or are using someone else’s mobile hotspot. To set your connection as metered, go to WiFi Settings -> Name of your network -> Advanced settings .

The second improvement happens behind the scenes and is unnoticeable to most users, but it is very important for user privacy. Basically, in Android P, the OS appends different MAC addresses to different connections and disables cross-network tracking. Another addition is support for IEEE 802.11mc, which allows apps to measure the distance to nearby WiFi access points. This is very useful for improving indoor navigation.

16. Connect up to 5 Bluetooth devices

In Android Oreo, the maximum number of Bluetooth devices that could be connected was two. With Android P, Google increased the number of devices to five . This means that most people can connect all their Bluetooth devices at once. To access this feature, you must enable developer mode. Here you can find many other options related to Bluetooth, such as the ability to change audio rate samples, audio channel mode, etc.

17. Change app information

Google is also making some small changes to the “App Information” section of the Settings app. First, the force stop button has been moved to the three-dot menu at the top right of the page . Additionally, information such as battery usage, data usage, etc. is now hidden within the new details menu.

18. Change to Do Not Disturb Mode

Google has simplified Do Not Disturb mode in Android P, removing the option to choose between Priority Only, Alarm Only, or Full Silence mode. There are no options here, and enabling the mode will enable complete silent mode (total silence). That said, users who just want to mute calls instead of alarms can do so by going to the volume menu introduced in Android P.

19. New Android P Esther Egg

Finally, there’s the new Android P Ester Egg, which can be accessed by tapping the Android version multiple times. The new Estelle Egg surrounds the letter “P” with colorful concentric circles that animate outward and inward. The color of the concentric circles also changes each time you close and open the Easter egg.

Bonus: Developer-centric features

20. Neural Networking API and AI Improvements

In Android 8.1, Google introduced Neural Network APIs for developers to provide hardware-assisted tools for machine learning. Google is expanding API support for nine new operations in Android P, including Pad, BatchToSpaceND, SpaceToBatchND, Transpose, Strided Slice, Mean, Div, Sub, and Squeeze .

21. Improved performance of Kotlin-based apps

At last year’s Google I/O, Google expanded support for the Kotlin programming language. With Android P, Google has improved the performance of Kotlin-based apps, making them faster.

22. Android runtime improvements

Android P also brings improvements to ART or the Android runtime. This improvement improves app performance and reduces app startup time and DEX memory usage .

23. New autofill API

One of my favorite features in Android Oreo was the new Autofill API, which allows password managers to enter user IDs and passwords directly within their apps. This was a huge help as I no longer had to go back and forth between my password manager and the apps I wanted to log into. In Android P, Google is adding a number of new APIs to the autofill framework, which will make autofill faster and better for your apps .

24. HEIF and HDR VP9 format support

Android P also supports HEIF (High-Efficiency Image File Format). HEIF is a better image format that can hold twice as much data as a JPEG file with about the same file size. Google is also adding support for the HDR VP9 format, making it easier for developers to create apps that can play HDR video content .

See also: How to install Android P developer preview on your Pixel device

What’s your favorite new feature in Android P?

This concludes the list of Android P features discovered so far. Although Android P doesn’t bring many changes to the UI, there are a number of changes under the hood that have us excited. Let us know your favorite Android P feature in the comments section below.