What’s New in Android P

Android Oreo is still to be rolled out to compatible devices, but Google is already working hard on its next Android OS named Android P. The first developer preview of Android P has already been released and the second one will be released at the next Google I/O developer conference. So, what’s new in Android P? Should you wait for Android P or buy a phone with Android Oreo? To help you decide, let’s take a look at some of the new features of Android P.

The Notch makes an entry: Keeping with the design elements being used by iPhone, Google will also be introducing the notch on the screen. The notch design features the front-facing camera and it was introduced by Apple. Users have liked the notch design and now Google also wants to add it to their phones. It is believed that the notch design will appeal to users who currently use iPhones.

Improved Google Assistant: In Android P, users will be able to use Google Assistant with other third-party apps. This is being done to compete with other digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri. Amazon has already made Alexa work with third-party apps and now Google too wants its users to benefit from this innovation.

Enhanced privacy: Google will make app permissions more foolproof in Android P. Currently, apps can continue to access your phone devices anytime they want. But with Android P, the OS will block background apps that may be accessing your phone’s devices such as microphone and camera.

No place for out-of-date apps: Android P will crack down on apps that are out-of-date, i.e. made for Android 4.2 or later. When installing such out-of-date apps, users will get a pop-up alert that will warn them about the potential bugs and security issues.

No orange bar for battery saver mode: The orange bar that was displayed in the battery saver mode has been removed in Android P. This is a welcome development since many users found the orange bar hugely irritating. Due to the orange bar, very few users are actually able to use the battery saver mode.

Last but not least, do you know what’s going to be the official name for Android P? O was Oreo, so what’s Android P going to be called? Well, internally, it’s being called as Pistachio Ice Cream, but the final name has yet to be decided. The official name for Android P will be announced after Google’s I/O developers’ conference in May 2018. According to various reports, some rumored names include Popsicle, Pineapple Cake and variations of Pie.