Coolest Android Nougat Features You May Have Missed
Google released Android Nougat yesterday for Nexus owners. It comes with some nice new header features like multi-window support and merged notifications. Digging through the developer previews, we found even more treats that you might have missed.
The nap now works even when you move
Android Marshmallow introduced a powerful battery saver feature that turned off most of the things that drain your battery when you leave your phone on your desk. Now you can get the same power when not using your phone, when it is moving. Doze is activated if you do not touch the phone for a while, even if it is in your purse, sitting in your car or pushing in your pocket.
Traffic Saving Mode protects you from over-limiting your data volume
Data limits suck, but most operators have some form of metered data. If you don’t want to pay more, you need to prevent tricky apps from rushing through your wallet. The traffic saving mode can help with this. When you turn on traffic saver mode, any app running in the background won’t be able to access cellular data (unless you whitelist it). If you get close to the data limit, which you can change in Settings> Data usage, Android will prompt you to turn on traffic saving mode.
Double-clicking the Recents button switches applications between the most recently used applications
The Recents button already makes it easy to scroll through the list of open Chrome apps and tabs . In Android Nougat, you can double-tap the Recents button to return to the last app you opened.
If you need to quickly navigate to an application other than the last one you opened, you can also tap the Recent button multiple times to view all open applications. This looks like the crude equivalent of Alt-Tab, but on your phone. It’s not as natural as the double-tap gesture, but it can be easier than manually scrolling through the list of apps once you get used to it.
Press and hold a notification to easily mute it
Android has many options for controlling which apps can send you notifications hidden deep within it. However, customizing them can be tedious. Now in Android Nougat, if you see a notification you don’t like, you can press and hold it to see several options for getting rid of it. You can configure it to show notifications from this app automatically, block all notifications for this app completely, or go to the Settings app to customize them more precisely.
Set app priority over notification shade manually using System UI Tuner
This feature is hidden in the ever-changing System UI Tuner Android menu . Internally, Android assigns an invisible priority level to all your notifications from 0 (completely blocked) to 5 (displayed at the top of the list and allows full screen interruption). You usually don’t need or need to configure this setting, but if you have very specific needs for your notifications, you can tweak this setting.
The built-in file manager is much more powerful
In Android Marshmallow, Google introduced a basic file manager that lets you browse folders, make copies of files, and … that’s all. Now a file manager called Explorer lets you move files, rename files and folders, and create new folders – in short, do whatever a decently powerful file manager should do for you. You can also open multiple instances of File Explorer to switch between individual folders. While apps like Solid Explorer , our favorite Android file manager , are still much more reliable, anyone who just needs basic file management will do just fine with the built-in tools.
You can block phone numbers at the system level
If you are tired of telemarketers, robots and spammers, Android Nougat has a system-level call blocking feature that will apply to your entire phone. If the number is blocked, it cannot send text messages or call your phone. The settings persist after a reset, so if you buy a new phone or clear your current one, you won’t start from scratch (which also means blocked numbers are stored in your Google account, which is nice!) Plus, any app can access the list of blocked users so that no one can call you, but cannot write to you, for example, through Hangouts. There have been several options for blocking calls on Android so far, but most of them are half measures. Blocking a number in your dialer does not block it in your VoIP application, blocking a text sender does not block phone calls, and blocking any incoming caller only directs their calls to voicemail where you have to deal with their message later. … This new feature even removes their voicemail.
You can set the automatic end of the “Do not disturb” mode when the alarm goes off
Android Do Not Disturb mode allows you to set quiet hours that block most or all notifications. In Android Nougat, Do Not Disturb can be configured to override the silent hours setting when your first alarm goes off in the morning. So, for example, if you set your Do Not Disturb mode to end every day at 7:00 am, but once you have to get up at 6:00 am, you will start receiving notifications as soon as the first alarm goes off, without changing your the usual rules.
New tile editor lets you customize quick setting tiles
Android Quick Settings Shadow is a handy way to enable or disable features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or auto-rotate. You can now choose which tiles will appear in your shadow using the new tile editor. Just drag down the Quick Settings panel and click the Edit button to delete the ones you don’t need, drag and drop new ones, or reorganize them as you see fit.
Adjust the size of the interface with the new display size slider
In previous versions of Android, you could adjust the text size if you wanted to make more use of this monstrously giant phone. However, there is nothing you can do about comically large icons. You can now tweak both with a new slider that can adjust the size of interface elements on your screen.
Work mode switch can turn off all your work apps when you’re not at work
If your company uses Android For Work to manage your work phone, you’ve just got a new tool to help you get out of the office. The new work mode quick settings tile now allows you to disable all work apps with a single button. Just pull the shade down, tap the switch, and you’re done. Enjoy your free time!
You can add contact information and medical information to the home screen
In Android Nougat, you can add custom emergency contact information to the dialer so anyone can pick up your phone and see at a glance who they can reach or read important information about you – in addition to making an emergency call like you’ve always done. able to do. You can add your full name, address, date of birth, blood type, known allergies, medications, medical conditions, organ donor status, and emergency contacts. We’ve always suggested that you do this , but now it’s built into Android. Go to Settings> Users> Emergency Information to add your information. Keep in mind that this information can be accessed by anyone with your phone. It doesn’t appear directly on the lock screen – you’ll have to dig through the emergency dialing program to find it – but it’s still available without having to unlock it first.
No more waiting for “app optimization” every time you update
After Android switched to the ART runtime in Android 4.4 Kit Kat, every time an Android phone received a major update, it had to go through the Optimize Applications phase on the first restart, which lasted forever . Now Google has made changes to the runtime that skips the optimization step entirely and makes the process much faster. What’s more, it means apps will install faster as well. Oddly enough, I found that it only took a few minutes to re-download the 100+ apps I have on the Nexus 6P after I wiped and installed Android N, not the hour or so it usually takes.
Features that have been removed from beta
We have been using the developer preview since the first release. As we expected, there were a few features in the beta that were not intended for release. As for the descendants (at least you can ask Google to bring them back permanently next year), here are the sacrifices we found in the final version:
- Night Mode: For the second year in a row, Google teased users with Night Mode previews only to rip it out in the final version. However, there is also a better side. If you’ve upgraded from an existing beta without wiping your phone, chances are you can still access Night Mode from the shade of quick settings. Otherwise, we’ll all have to wait and hope Google makes it official next year.
- Manual Display Calibration: A setting hidden in the system’s user interface tuner allowed users to manually calibrate their display’s RGB levels . It is clear that Google has decided not to give regular users the opportunity to accidentally ruin their displays.
On the surface, Android Nougat only has a couple of big headlining features like split-screen apps or the upcoming VR mode . However, there are tons of nice little tweaks under the hood that make your phone a little easier in day to day use.