• Posted byby Kellen

What Else is New in Android O? A Recap of the Little Things

Android O is official today and available for those with supported devices to start poking around in. We’ve already shared the official changelog, gave you the new Android O wallpaper to download, and have a nice video overview on the way to show off most of the new stuff, but we also wanted to put together a post that touches on some of the smaller changes. These are the changes that Google won’t highlight, yet you might find them really useful.

These are the other changes to Android O. 

(Also, we’ll be updating this post regularly, so feel free to keep checking back.)

System UI Tuner gets navigation bar customizations, custom app shortcuts on lock screen.

 

Navigation bar tweaks.

 

Custom shortcuts on lock screen.

Notifications can be snoozed!

Status Bar shows more info when in notifications, Quick Settings tiles get extra touch points.

New “Device theme” option in Pixel. Does that mean themes are coming to the Pixel? (This setting isn’t on Nexus 6P.)

The new Settings menu is basically exactly the approach Samsung just took starting with the Note 7. We’ve got categories now instead of everything just broken out. Plus, the slideout menu is already dead.

 

Autofill apps will be listed like Android Pay apps, under Default apps. Picture-in-picture settings in Special Access.

Default apps and Autofill.

Picture-in-Picture settings.

Factory reset, backup, and keyboard settings, all under System now. Plus, Moves are now under Languages & Input.

Unknown Sources is now Install Other Apps under Special Access in Notification settings. Instead of allowing all unknown apps to install, you grant specific permission to select apps to allow for the installation of apps not from Google Play.

  

Full video tour below with many of these changes.

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More coming!

Written by

Kellen

It’s not often that you get to merge personal passions into a professional life, but that’s what Kellen did when he launched Droid Life in 2009. After working years of unsatisfying jobs in the medical and property management fields, he took a risk to try and create an online community while playing with the coolest gadgets on the planet each day, a risk that has turned out to be incredibly rewarding. Outside of Droid Life, Kellen is your typical Portlander who drinks way too much good beer, complains often about the Trail Blazers, and can be found out on the streets for a run, rain or shine.

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29 Comments

  • i would be interested to see if you guys uncover anything using dashlane. kind of a long shot, but they were the ones that partnered a while back to bring autofill and worked directly with google and the android team to bring this type of complete service to android. long time user here, dashlane is amazing.

  • It is amazing to me how far Android has come. Minor UI tweaks and battery improvement are the big announcements in a system update. Remember Ice Cream Sandwich? That was a total UI and system overhaul. It is really cool that we don’t need that now.

    • Remember going to Eclair to Froyo? And then to Gingerbread?

      Each one was like a whole new phone!

  • these new setting are really good. That’s one thing that Android does well for every version. They know what to include better than Apple than theirs for every update. That’s why they will always be number 1. Before you guys tell me i’m a fanboy,no i’m not a fanboy i have an ipad air 2.

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  • I’m just sitting here… reading this… while waiting for Nougat on my Moto X Pure… sigh

      • Great to see I am not the only one waiting.

        Good sign that its live in Brazil. Hope it heads North soon.

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  • I still want to be able to shrink the soft keys and have a transparent nav bar. Making progress

  • A device requirement for all system wide themes to be implemented via the new Android standard would be huge. Have the OEM one enabled by default and let them download the vanilla/stock Android one via the Play Store. You would think that would streamline a lot of the update processes between the versions moving forward.

    • There’s a big difference between themes and OEM software. Themes are essentially skins that go on top of the software. They replace cosmetic pieces here and there, but they don’t replace the core system. Even if this theme system was required, it wouldn’t change the system update process one bit.

    • I’m sorry man that’s just not how any of this works. See the other guys response

      • I know that it isn’t, it’s more a pipe dream for how it should be. Give the OEMs hooks into what is standard so they don’t have to do all these mods to get it to their own look and feel. I know they package and include their own system apps in place of phone, calendar, etc.

        • They don’t do all the modifications just for looks. The OEM’s offer many features that Google doesn’t until a few years later. Sometimes these features are gimmicky​, or just plain suck, but many are very useful.

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