Android 10: These are the ten most outstanding news

Last September 3 was the date chosen by Google to officially launch the new iteration of its mobile operating system, Android 10. Although my Xiaomi Mi A1 still does not appear among the list of phones that will receive Android 10 (you can check the terminals that are already confirmed HERE), I still don't lose hope. What news will we be able to find those who, with a little luck, manage to update our device to Android 10? Let's see!

What's new in Android 10: all the keys

One of the most outstanding novelties, even if it is only a purely cosmetic change, is the decision to banish the names of desserts from their nomenclature. A) Yes, Android Q will be renamed Android 10, simply (no Android Pie, Marshmallow, Nougat, or similar). The reason? Mainly linguistic: In some languages, letters like L and R do not differ so there may be people who do not know which version comes after Android KitKat (to give a simple example).

If we add to all this that Android is an open source system, and that the use of trademarks (Oreo, KitKat) by the community was not very well seen, it seems a most understandable decision. Another thing is that the "magic" of using this type of name is lost a bit, but that is another story ...

Android will warn if a USB port is wet or overheated

One of the most interesting news, and that curiously we have not yet seen mentioned in too many specialized media, is that with Android 10 the system will be in charge of checking the integrity of the USB ports.

In this way, if Android detects the presence of liquids, particles or dirt in the USB port of the phone will proceed to disable it, showing a warning on the screen ("USB port disabled"). Thereafter, no accessory can be reconnected until the user clears the hole and is clear of any obstruction.

Integrated subtitles

Another of the most useful functionalities in order to improve accessibility is the feature known as “Live Caption”(From the English, literally“live subtitles”). Thanks to her our mobile can show subtitles of any video or audio that we reproduce, simply by pressing a button. Perfect for watching movies silently, practicing a new language or learning the content of a voice memo by keeping the phone volume at zero. Best of all, it also works offline, without the need to be connected to the Internet.

Smart Reply

Notifications will now be “smart”. The system is capable of detecting the text messages that we receive from the various messaging apps that we have installed, and suggests possible automated responses. It is a way to reply to messages quickly, and includes emojis and shortcuts to other applications (Google Maps, WhatsApp, etc.).

Dark mode comes to Android 10 natively

In the last year we have seen how Google has been implementing the "dark mode" in many of its applications, such as Chrome or YouTube. With the arrival of Android 10, the night mode can also be used in the navigation screens and menus of the system without the need to install any additional app.

If our mobile is not going to receive an update to Android 10 but we want to enable the dark theme, we can activate it with the advice we discussed in this other post: "How to activate the dark mode on Android". Do not lose sight of it!

Gesture navigation

With the advent of infinite screens and almost frameless mobiles, there is less and less space for touch buttons. For this reason –and because it has been announced for a long time-, gesture control will be more present than ever in this new version of Android.

In Android 10 we can control the entire system with just gestures. There are 4 main gestures:

• Swipe from the side: Go back.
• Drag from bottom to top: Start.
• Swipe from the bottom and hold in the middle area: Open multitasking.
• Swipe from left to right: Switch between applications.

Security patches through Google Play

With Android 10 security updates they will no longer arrive via OTA through the manufacturer, but will be distributed through Google Play, as if it were one more application. With this, it is expected to achieve a greater and better distribution of the system's security patches.

New more inclusive “genderfluid” emojis

The new Google keyboard in Android 10 includes 236 new emojis. In addition, modifications have been made to around 800 existing emojis, of which 300 now have a more neutral appearance, with genders that cannot be defined as male or female.

Smart sound amplifier

From now on, Android will be able to recognize ambient noise. In this way, the system will automatically regulate the sound of any video or audio, raising the volume or lowering it depending on the ambient sound that we have around us. This new function has been called Sound Amplifier ("Sound amplifier").

For example, if we are listening to music with headphones and we get into a noisy subway car with many people, Android will be able to detect all the noise and will increase the volume adaptively and dynamically, and then reduce it again when the car is empty. or get off at our stop.

New system for managing permits

Android 10 launches a renewed system for controlling permissions in applications. This new model not only shows information about which apps use a certain component (camera, microphone, etc.), in what way and at what time, but it also allows us to consult all this data in real time.

With regard to network management, now we can also control whether applications have access to Wi-Fi, GPS or mobile networks only when in use or at any time. In short, a set of notable improvements for greater privacy control.

Foldable smartphone compatibility

We will hardly be able to use this functionality in the relatively near future, but Android is ready: the new version of the operating system is 100% compatible with folding phones. This means that we can open or close the phone and continue from the same point where we left it.

In addition to these, Android 10 also includes other new features such as "concentration mode" to limit access to the mobile and promote digital well-being. Support for monochrome photographic sensors, support for the .heic format in images, and the introduction of the machine learning to improve battery management and consumption.

The truth is that the news is not few and everything indicates that they will help to significantly improve performance and the way in which we interact with our mobile phone. What do you think? What do you think is the star function of this Android 10?