Android Pie – Review

One of the prominent aspects that have contributed to the massive success of Android is the consistent and quality updates. It has come a long way from the initial version which has been released in 2008. Exactly a decade since then, Pie, the latest version has been recently released. The smartphone spectrum is all over this newly introduced version, for its amazing features that are quite new and innovative. Like always, Google hasn’t failed to deliver with this latest update, as many tech gurus are lauding this update as one of the best ever. If you’re wondering what exactly changed with this version, continue reading this review to know what exactly this update means to Android.

Features

For any software to become instant hit, newly-added features play the most important part.  Let’s see what exactly changed with Android Pie and how these new features work.

• Tweaked & Upgraded Materialistic Look: Android 5.0 is the one that has first received the widely-loved material look. Since then, the developers of this operating system have consistently improved the material look elements. With Pie, you get colorful look, which has been requested by the commoners for quite a long time. Drop-down control center now features blue color for the enabled icons. The settings menu has been equipped with colorful icons. The clock has been moved from the top right corner to top left. This version also features a more translucent background, which lets you see the home screen easily. The most notable change in the looks can be seen with the recent apps screen. With this version, recent apps can be accessed through flat app previews, which can be flicked through.

• Gesture Navigation: The way you operate with your phone is about to change with the newly added gesture navigation feature. Recent apps menu and the app drawer buttons got new looks. With Gesture Navigation, you can simply forget about the three soft keys and just use gestures to replace their functionality. With a flick up, you can access the recent apps, whereas a second flick can get you to the app drawer. You can have the option to either use this new feature or simply avoid it. You can enable or disable this feature by going to the Gestures option in the Settings menu.

• Newer and Better Screenshots: The newer version of Android ecosystem allows you to see larger previews of images in your notification list. Apart from that, the way you go about screenshots has also changed. The method of taking screenshots is still the same though. But, with this recent update, you not only get a quick preview of your screenshot on the screen, but you also get a system notification at the top of your screen. This notification includes three important options, which are Share, Edit, and Delete. Now, you can swiftly share your screenshots via different options right from your screenshot notification. With the Edit button, you can quickly crop or perform any other editing activities easily. Finally, if you don’t like your recently taken screenshot, you can simply tap on the Delete button of the screenshot notification.

• Upgraded Volume Controls: One more major change made to this smartphone operating system is the way you can control volume settings. The new interface offers you an extra button which lets you change the default notification method, whether it’s silent, vibrate, or standard. If you want to change the volume control further, you can simply long press the volume button, which takes you to the volume settings area where you can access the brief volume sliders. With this innovative change, it has become much easier and simpler to change your volume settings instantly according to your preferences.

• App Actions: The developers have revolutionized the operating system by introducing the role of AI into this version. The result is the cool feature called App Actions which provides you shortcuts in your app drawer menu, based on your behavior. But, you don’t get to choose what goes into this menu, since they’re analyzed and presented by the AI of App Actions on your behalf. You can see shortcuts such as Google Fit Activity, Spotify’s Weekly playlist, and similar others.

• Improved Battery and Performance: Two of the major aspects of our smartphone usage are the performance and battery level. If you’re a power user, you must be struggling with these aspects, as Android allows apps to run on background which in turn affect your smartphone’s battery and performance. But, this newer version offers a tweaked feature called Adaptive Battery that radically improves these two aspects. Pie is equipped with an algorithm that only allows frequently used apps to run in the background and restricts those apps that you use rarely. By doing so, it helps you save your battery life and enhances your smartphone’s performance.

• Usage Monitor: For Social Media addicts, Digital Wellbeing feature could be a labeled as a gift. Although, Usage Monitor hasn’t been completely rolled out, it still is a great feature to have. With this, you can monitor your app usage and then restrict it as well. Now, you can simply analyze your app usage and take appropriate decisions such as restricting access for limited time.

• Text Magnifier: This feature lets you magnify any text and color it for easier reading. You can select the text by the usual method, but you get a magnifier version just under it. Although this might not be a great change, it still could be helpful for many people out there who read a lot from their smartphone.

Pros & Cons

Usually, anything developed by the Google works very effectively. Android 9.0 is no different here, but let’s have a look at the major pros and cons of this system.

Pros

• Helpful and effective AI elements.
• Tweaked notification settings.
• Clean and newer look.
• Ease of usage through gestures.
• Enhance performance and battery.
• Easy-to-use Recent Apps menu.

Cons

• Some features are not fully developed.

Final Verdict

If you’re loyal Android fanboy, you must already be aware of the fact that Google always does it right with their updates. Android Pie has been developed and equipped with much-needed upgrades such as implementation of AI, Gestures, and elated battery performance. Furthermore, it also has clean and amazing materialistic looks. If your phone is compatible, update it to this version and see how it goes.