Buzz
Indoor positioning technology integrated in Android P
Google aims to provide indoor directional guidance as effectively as Maps does outdoors. Android P is set to leverage this feature with a small contribution from WiFi Round-Trip-Time (RTT). The 802.11mc protocol feature will help apps determine your distance from the connected WiFi access point, enabling developers to calculate indoor locations more accurately.
If you can't access this feature on your current mobile device, there may be hope for your next phone. Perhaps it will be a Pixel phone with indoor positioning technology support.
Android P enhances Notifications
Google now allows developers to move more chat content from messages to notifications. Attached image files and stickers are starting to appear in Notifications, replacing the message 'someone sent you a file'. This significantly improves messaging services, but also means that messages in the pull-down list will take up more space in Notifications.
This new notification display also allows developers to add quick reply features, similar to Google Allo's current system and the reply bots in Google's Reply app. It's unclear how much control developers have over these reply messages, or whether the system is tied to Google's current Smart Reply system, but it's clear that Notifications have been significantly enhanced.
Android P triples privacy control
Android P combines numerous security features and privacy controls in its background. The most notable is the new system that restricts access to sensors, camera, and mic when apps are not active. These systems will cease sending notifications to apps when inactive, and apps exploiting information from these sources will halt data exchange. Google is moving towards proposing the removal of apps that request background access, as these features are no longer operational.
Additionally, Google allows data backup encryption to ensure customer confidentiality and generates random MAC addresses per network. However, these features may not always be available until the next Preview versions of Android P are released.
Finally, private apps will have better fingerprint system access in Android P, including smoother app UI interfaces, allowing users to recognize fingerprint authentication from the same reliable source.
Android P supports multiple cameras
Many Android devices currently feature multiple cameras positioned on the front or back, but very few have the ability to operate simultaneously. Google has added an API for developers to explore a world that allows the simultaneous use of multiple cameras.
This is significant, from perceiving image depth through multiple cameras to direct Portrait Mode akin to Apple's style or even commercial devices using both a standard camera and a thermal camera simultaneously to combine two images.
Furthermore, Google has added a feature to support apps using stabilization effects and flash for photos on the screen similar to the basic mobile camera app, ensuring that third-party cameras will certainly capture better footage.
Android P Supports Notch Displays
As many manufacturers have adopted the notch design by incorporating glass panels and front-facing sensors to create a 'notch' on the screen, Android P will support screen notches with APIs aimed at creating UI interfaces around that area. This means that full-screen apps without buttons on the edges will actively avoid these notch areas on the screen, making it an appealing feature for everyone.
To assist developers during this initial phase, various notch designs have been added to the Android P emulator, allowing you to test these design patterns without needing to physically hold a device with a notch on the front.
Android P is still not ready for mainstream use
This point does not originate from Google, but it's often not emphasized whenever a new version of Android is released to developers. This is an incomplete version of Android, lacking stability, with features that may not even appear in the final release of Android P.
Unless you're researching applications, you probably don't want to install or update this initial Android P release on your mobile device. If you've already installed or updated to Android P, you probably don't want to store any important data on that device. But if you're determined to use Android P right now, this article will provide some useful suggestions for you.
Additionally, if you want to restore your Android installation to its original version for your device, you can also follow the Android restore instructions to return your device to its initial state.
