eight simply missed Android P additions that'll make your life simpler

By now, you have heard all about Android P's new gesture navigation system and the software program's most outstanding productivity-boosting options. Whether or not you have been utilizing P your self in its pre-release beta type or simply studying about it, although, there are sure to be components of Google's newest cellular effort that have not but caught your eye.

Like most Android releases, Android P has various simply missed touches — little additions that will not get a lot consideration or dramatically change something however will make your life simpler in some significant methods.

These types of little touches are sometimes my favourite a part of a software program replace. So with the ultimate Android P preview formally out within the wild and the complete launch probably simply across the nook, I believed it might be a positive time to discover a few of P's extra understated enhancements.

Lets?

Don'tcha simply hate it once you're taking a look at one thing in your display — an particularly participating article, maybe (hello!), or perhaps a photograph of some extremely good-looking web author — after which, while you are deep in thought, your display time-out kicks in and your show goes darkish? In the event you ask me, that is one of the grievous minor inconveniences of recent cellular life.

Android P has a brand new instrument to assist: Simply hold your finger in your cellphone's fingerprint sensor — or contact it there for a second everytime you see the display beginning to dim — and bam: no extra time-out. One tiny contact is all it takes to let your cellphone know you are still alive, wanting, and fascinated with a completely illuminated show.

And hey, should you're one of many cool youngsters using your fingerprint sensor as a trackpad, too, it's a double win.

A phone's notification panel should be an uncluttered space for glanceable, pertinent info — but as we all know, it's all too easy for that area to get larded up with distracting nonsense.

The pile-up of ordinary notifications is your problem, pal (seriously, start dismissing those things once in a while, wouldya?), but Android P can take away one superfluous bit of clutter: the always-present Bluetooth icon that's there, accomplishing absolutely nothing, on the right side of your screen.

It's pretty common to leave Bluetooth on eternally nowadays, given the breadth of wireless devices most of us connect to throughout the day — and traditionally, that means you're stuck with a permanent Bluetooth symbol taking up space in that corner. Android P, however, shows the icon only when a device is actively connected.

Sensible, no?

Android's been making it easier to avoid noisy notifications for a while now, but let's face it: Most normal people probably don't realize their phone even has a system for opting out of an individual app's alerts, let alone know anything about the more advanced notification channel feature introduced in Oreo. Heck, even if you do know about those things, putting them to use takes active effort and mental energy — two things that, if you're anything like me, are always in short supply.

Android P solves both parts of that problem by taking note when you frequently dismiss a specific type of notification without acting on it — and then pointing that pattern out to you and asking if you'd like to stop getting said notifications.

The answer will almost certainly be "no" at least some of the time — for instance, I get a lot of notifications from Nest that I don't necessarily act on but do appreciate seeing — but still, it's a nice little nudge and reminder that the option exists.

When you get a new messaging notification, you're faced with two actions that often overlap but don't necessarily go hand in hand: replying and dismissing the notification.

You might want to answer a text message, for instance, to let the sender know you've seen it — but you might also want to leave that notification present on your device so you'll remember to think on it further later in the day. Right now, in Android, such an option doesn't exist: If you reply within a notification, the notification vanishes. Period.

Android P pulls apart the actions of replying and dismissing into two separate pieces: You can reply to a message in a notification, and then — you guessed it — it'll stick around and stay present in your phone's notification panel. If you want to dismiss it, well, you dismiss it.

The change definitely takes some getting used to at first, but the more you live with it, the more logical it seems.

Yes, that's right: no more bright red navigation bar and status bar whenever your battery level gets low and Android's Battery Saver mode kicks in. Instead, the battery icon itself just changes to let you know what's going on without making it look like all hell is breaking loose.

JR

Ahh...much better.

6. Your volume-up and volume-down buttons will control media volume by default

Ever start trying to adjust your phone's volume while a video is loading, only to realize you've just cranked your ringer volume all the way up or down instead? Android P finally fixes this seemingly minor but actually impactful issue by making the volume-up and volume-down buttons control media volume — not ringer volume — by default.

If you want to get to your ringer level, it's just one more tap away. Oh, and psst: If you want to get a similar but more customizable setup that makes the ringer volume even easier to access — and that works with or without Android P in place — here's how.

7. Your calendar and weather info will show up on your lock screen

This one's likely to vary quite a bit with different device-makers, but on Google's version of Android P, at least, Android P gives you the current weather for your area and a heads-up of any upcoming calendar events right on your lock screen.

JR

It's a simple thing, no doubt, but it ends up being a super-convenient way to get a glance at important info without having to venture far or do any digging.

8. Your Wi-Fi hotspots will turn themselves off

Gosh golly, Wi-Fi hotspots sure can be handy. They can also be massive battery-drainers, though — especially when you forget to turn 'em off after you finish using 'em.

With Android P, you don't have to worry about your power-zapping brain lapses: The software adds a new on-by-default option that turns a hotspot off automatically when no devices are connected.

JR

Leave that checked, and let your phone handle the hard work of remembering to flip the toggle for you. It just makes sense. And that, my friends, is what progress is all about.

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