If you managed to avoid the news yesterday, Android 10 has been unleashed on the general public. Well, to be precise, a portion of the general public. Google Pixel owners can now update their devices with the rest of the Android crowd being able to get their sweaty palms on it before the end of 2019. But to entice you to upgrade, here are some the features we think are reasonably cool.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/09/android-10-launches-today/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/android10-410×231.jpg” title=”Android 10 Has Officially Arrived To Upgrade Your Life” excerpt=”Google has announced Android 10 is rolling out to Pixel phones from September 4 with other devices due to receive the update by the end of the year. The update is one of Google’s most anticipated yet so here’s what Pixel owners can expect from the update.”]
It’s 2019 and everyone stans a dark mode so Android 10 users will now be able to flick that on until their heart’s content. The feature will let you choose to dark mode your whole system or selected apps. To get inject dark mode into your life, swipe down from the top of the screen and flick on battery saving mode, which automatically enables the feature. If you like to do things the hard way, you can also head to Settings, Display and the Theme.
While the Dark Mode feature is probably Android 10’s most gratifying new feature, there are plenty of other handy updates such as Smart Reply and Focus Mode.
Smart Reply, while not likely to blow your mind, will allow your phone to recognise the content of a text message and give you some convenient options, including a quick thumbs up or “No, I can’t” reply. If it’s a lunch or dinner invite, it’ll also let you open up Google Maps to find out where the proposed location is.
Perhaps the most productive feature of all is the new Focus Mode. It’s still in beta but essentially you can remove all that unwanted digital noise from your life while you’re working on something important. The mode allows you to mute app notifications while it’s on and you’ll be able to pick and choose which ones need to be included in the moratorium.
Aside from actual features, Android 10 delivers 65 new emoji, including more gender-diverse options, an otter and sloth and my personal favourite, a garlic. This alone should be enough to convince you an upgrade is worthwhile. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
While the Android 10 is only being rolled out to Pixel devices in the immediate weeks, Android users can expect to get access to the features in the coming months leading up to the end of 2019.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/05/heres-what-android-qs-new-dark-theme-looks-like/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/qbdtx2z75obg260cbf8x.jpg” title=”Here’s What Android Q’s New Dark Theme Looks Like” excerpt=”There are two kinds of people in the world: people who want dark mode everything, and people who for some reason don’t care about being blinded by apps with white backgrounds at night. As you’ve probably guessed, I fall into the first camp, which is why I was curious to check out the official Dark Theme in Android Q. So here’s a quick preview.”]