Android P Features, Release Date, Name and Everything You Want to Know

Android is the most popular operating system in the world. It has overtaken Microsoft Windows last year to be the platform that most people are using. Every year, Google releases the new version with exciting features. Given Android 8.0 Oreo already hit the devices, we are eagerly waiting for Android 9.0 P.

You know? Google wants to keep the name a secret and they will only make it public by the time the edition is going to get launched. Here in this article, we put forward the major Android P features (got from developer preview), expecting name, and the possible release date of the platform.

Some Of The Best Android P (9.0) Features Explained

Every edition of Android is delicious, literally. They find a sweet name and add features that you never even thought possible. The following are the main features we spotted on the developer preview of Android P.

• • • Enhanced Messaging Experience

If you are using Android 7.0+, you know it is possible to reply to conversations directly from notifications. However, it isn’t possible for anyone to get to the content in case the received message is a picture. Android P will allow you to see a glimpse of the image with the accurate details (including the DP) of the sender.

• • • Notch Support

Apple has popularised the notch on top of the display with their iPhone X. However, Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone brought into practice before that.

Going by the recent speculations, brands have got obsessed with the notch. Vivo already launched a smartphone with it. Moreover, Xiaomi and OnePlus have been working behind the stage to bring their respective flagships carrying display notches.

Now Google has officially extended the support for display cutouts.

• • • Customized Volume Rocker Functions

Volume rockers always did justice to their names. It helps you increase or decrease both ringer and media volume. When you play a video or song, the volume rockers help you control the in-app volume. On all the other situations, you can use it to regulate the ringer volume.

Google has slightly enhanced the functionality of the volume rockers on the new version. After pressing, you get a new option beneath the slider that says Calls. It helps you juggle between Ring, Vibrate, and Mute.

• • • Secure Background Apps Permission Regulation

Yeah, we all know Android allows apps to run in the background. Taking the same feature as an exploit, many apps monitor what users do on their phones. Google has decided to put a full stop to this trend.

From the next version, Android won’t allow background apps to silently use the camera, microphone and other sensors. Of course, it increases the security and prevents unauthorized access to our privacy.

• • • Five Simultaneous Bluetooth Connections

On the latest stable build Android 8.1, you can set up two simultaneous Bluetooth connections, one for calls and the other one for media. Have you ever thought of connecting to five different Bluetooth sources at the same time?

The developer preview of Android P has brought us into an awe of seeing the maximum number of simultaneous connections here. Once you enter the Developer Options, you can see a feature to determine the maximum possible connections at a time (five is the top-threshold you can choose).

• • • Vertical Scrolling Quick Settings

On stock Android, you have to swipe right and left to go through different quick setting options. It isn’t the case here on 9.0 P. Going by the developer preview, we have seen a vertical scrolling. In case you didn’t like it horizontally, this update is going to satisfy you.

• • • Mac Address Randomization

MAC address is a unique key used for identifying devices connected to a WiFi network. The inability to change the address makes it easy to track the people.

Android introduced the MAC address changing feature, back to 5.0 Lollipop itself. However, most of the manufacturers disabled the option. Not to mention, the feature wasn’t that effective as well. But this time around, it has come again inside the Developer Options.

• • • New Power Button Options

A single tap on the power button makes the device sleep. When you long-press it, two options are displayed, including Power Off and Reboot (on some custom ROMs and customized UIs, you can see other options too).

Android P has brought two new options along with it. The first one is Screenshot. Unlike the traditional hardware keys combo, you can take a screenshot using this button. The second one is Enter Lockdown. Enabling it will disable the fingerprint scanner and other extended access options.

• • • New Text Selection Features

We all select texts from web pages and other applications. Google has introduced an iOS-like zoom lens feature to give us an insight of the selection. You can see the text, being selected in a bigger font.

Selecting a text brings three options now; Copy, Share and Select All. The Android P has made it four by providing Web Search an individual space beside the three.

• • • Hide Notifications You Frequently Dismiss

Not always we get notifications we care about. So, we have to manually dismiss them with anger. No, you don’t have to do it on Android P as it tracks the applications that push notifications and the way you treat them.

If it detects you constantly dismiss notifications from a particular application, it will show you an option to hide them from popping up.

Android P; Name and Release Date

We haven’t got solid information about any of these two. Considering the speculations, we can expect Pineapple Pie, Popsicle, Profiterole, or Pancake. Don’t get carried away if these aren’t the actual names!

We have got only a few months before the official release. Our prediction is August 2018. When it comes to the devices, Pixel 3 is the first in the list. Moreover, you can get the Developer Preview on the previous Pixel iterations as well.

Conclusion

Don’t think the above-given ones are the only new and modified features available on Android P. Even the Developer Preview includes many more small specs. And, we can anticipate Google to bring a few new options to the platform, which hasn’t made it to the initial preview version.

What do you expect from Android P? Let’s have a discussion down below.