Google has officially renamed the upcoming Android Q to Android 10. The final beta for Android 10 was released earlier this month and it shouldn’t be long before Android 10 officially launches. Android 10 has a lot of focus on privacy along with plenty of tweaks in the UI. Let’s take a look at the top 10 features that you should look forward to in the upcoming update.
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System-wide Dark Mode
This is by far the most popular feature that’s making it to Android 10. While Google has already implemented dark mode in most of its applications, it is now going to be applied system-wide on Android 10. If you’re worried about not having a dark mode on third-party apps, Google will also allow you to “Override force-dark” on them.
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A new gesture-based navigation system
Android is doing away with the pill-shaped navigation icon and is instead opting for an iPhonesque navigation line. From this line, you can swipe up to go home, swipe from either side to go back and swipe up and hold to reveal the multitasking menu. This also means that Google will be killing its back button that has been ubiquitous over all its past releases.
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Live Captions
Google has become more conscious about the length and breadth of its userbase. Live Caption can provide real-time captions for just about anything that’s playing on your phone. What’s better is that your phone won’t need an internet connection for this to work. It works offline and is crucial for people who are hard-of-hearing or deaf.
SEE ALSO: Google Is Dropping The Dessert Naming Scheme For Android; Android Q Is Now Android 10
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An improved sharing menu
Android’s sharing menu is definitely the most intuitive part of the UI. It’s slow to load and just doesn’t feel as natural as it should. Google is addressing this with Android 10 and according to them, "the share UI can load instantly when it's launched". They’re also launching “Sharing Shortcuts” that allows developers to create new options in the sharing menu.
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Privacy permissions
The world has never been so conscious about privacy before. Google understands that this is an essential part of Android and is changing the way apps and services can access information. For example, when an application asks for your location access now you’ll also have an option to grant location access to the app only when you’re using it. The “Permissions usage” page itself is receiving an overhaul and you can expect much better control on what apps have access to and don’t.
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Theming options
Google is now playing with colours and wants you to too. By default, Android’s UI accents have been painted in blue. But with Android 10 you can now change the accent colour. As of the latest update, the colours available are Blue, Black, Green, Purple, Cinnamon, Ocean, Space and Orchid. But this might not be the case for the final release.
SEE MORE: Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL Specifications Leaked; 90Hz 'Smooth Display', Snapdragon 855 And More
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Screen Recording
Although a very simple addition, Android had been missing this feature. With Android 10, Google now natively supports screen recording. Although to enable it, you’ll need to dig into developer settings.
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Native Desktop Mode
Android 10 has an all-new Native Desktop Mode that is similar to what we’ve seen Samsung do with Dex. When you connect your phone to an external monitor your phone will switch to Desktop Mode and you’ll be able to use freeform multi-windows to open and move apps anywhere. Although it is far being as comprehensive as Samsung Dex is, it’s a start!
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Share WiFi via QR Code
If you’ve ever pulled your hair over not remembering the WiFi password when you needed to share it, Android 10 has you covered. With Android 10, you can now share your WiFi password via a QR Code. But before generating a QR Code, you’ll have to pass biometrics or enter your phone’s pattern/pin cause security? As mentioned before, there are a lot of privacy/security-focused features in Android 10.
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Support for Foldable phones
Yes, Google was very local about how Android 10 will support foldable phones when the infamous Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X were announced earlier this year. While there isn’t a functional phone that you can buy just yet, it’s good to know that when they do launch we won’t experience a glitchy UI.
SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Fold Finally Has An Official (Re)Launch Date!
