Android 10 Tips: Get started with the best new features

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When you use Android 10 for the first time, version 9 will not be so different from it. In fact, the most important change you will encounter is that it does not have an appetizing dessert nickname. But even without radical new features, Android "Do not Call It Q" opens a new path for the operating system, with new methods of navigation, customization and security of your phone. So, if you do not find anything new, you just look in the wrong place. Here are all the best new features of Android 10 and how to start using them.

Dark theme

The most anticipated new feature of Android 10 is probably simple: the dark mode. Called Dark Theme, it switches most of Google's in-store inventory from dazzling white to black or dark gray. However, it is a little sparse, some applications running automatically, while others have their own internal switches. Here's how it breaks down:

Ready dark theme

Nuance of notification
Google search widget
Chromium
contacts
Drive
Files
Google Pay
Keep notes
pics
To play games
settings

Android 10 dark theme — The dark theme in Android 10 can be switched with a quick settings icon.

Separate dark mode available in the application settings

Always dark

Not ready for the dark theme

Gmail
Google
Home
maps
New
Reading books
Play store
podcasts
Wear OS

For applications and the elements that support it, you can enable the dark theme in two ways. The fastest is inside the notification shade. Simply slide your finger from the top of the screen, drag it again to expand quick settings, and tap the Obscure theme icon. Alternatively, you can find a toggle in the display settings. Google is already launching an obscure mode for Maps and Assistant on its Android 10 site. It should not be long before the remaining applications are supported.

Gesture navigation

The gesture navigation has been technically launched with Android 9, but for the most part, Android 10 is in its infancy. This is because Google has seriously refined its system of gestures and introduced a series of changes in the way you move.

Android 10 gestures — There are now three ways to navigate your phone.

You'll find the gestures in the same place as before, in the system settings, but here it has a name, Navigation by gestures. Last year 's method, which was called Drag Up button in Android 9 / Pie, now calls two-button navigation. The icons of the super-old-school navigation bar allow navigation with 3 buttons.

When you select gesture navigation, you will notice that the buttons have completely disappeared, replaced by a thin line similar to that of the iPhone's home indicator. This is where you will do most of your actions. Google has streamlined the whole system to make things less dependent on the home button:

Go home: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen when you are in an application.
Change application: Swipe left or right at the bottom of the screen.
Overview of the application: Swipe up from the screen button and hold your finger in the center of the screen for one second.
Open the application drawer: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen when you are on the Home screen or a second time while you are in the application selector.
Assistant Summoner: Slide your finger from the right or left corner of the screen.

Since the Back button is gone, you're probably wondering how to go back from a screen when using an application. It's simple: you slide your finger on either side of the screen. This means that sliding to the left of the right side of the screen or to the right of the left side of the screen will cause the screen to move backward. You will see an arrow-shaped animation and you will feel a small vibration. Then simply lift your finger to go back on a screen.

You will also notice that a new gear icon is to the right of the description of how the new gesture works. Here you will find settings for adjusting the rear sensitivity, which gives you several levels of difficulty in scanning to trigger the rear function. You will need a precise degree of control because some applications allow sliding menus and other actions on the side screen. In fact, Google has allowed about 25% of the bottom left of the screen to be blocked (technically called "vertical application limit"), so developers can still include sliding menus without disrupting the gesture back. If an app has a sliding menu, a scan from the bottom left of the screen will extract the menu, while a scan from any location is restored. If an application does not have a drop-down menu or an action on the side screen, you can scan anywhere to go back.

Android 10 notifications

It would not be a new Android version without some adjustments to the notification system. The changes in Android 10 are not as dramatic as in Pie, but they still make sense.

You can always long-press or briefly touch a notification in the shade to bring up the alert settings, but that does not boil down to Android 10. Instead of all or nothing stop showing or continue to show, you will be able to disable notifications or access a new menu of simplified settings for more detailed options.

Android 10 notifications — Notifications have received some smart changes in Android 10.

Speaking of silent notifications, you can also better track them in Android 10. In the notification panel, you will find a new group of silent notifications, which allows you to quickly see what happened to you without a buzz. Parameters by application have also been simplified to facilitate understanding and control of things.

The application settings are largely similar to those of Android 9, but some new features deserve to be reported. In addition to the existing Disable and Force options, you now have the option to open an application from the Application Info screen. In addition, the Notifications tab now shows you the approximate number of notifications sent by the app each week. So you can decide to limit them or not.

New sharing features

The sharing sheet has been a sore spot for previous versions of Android, but in version 10, Google has finally done something about it. Of course, access to the sharing sheet is the same (tap the share button or the icon in an app), but the appearance and features have completely changed.

On the one hand, it is much faster. When the previous menu took a second or two to load the full list of actions and application shortcuts, in Android 10, it is virtually instantaneous.

It is also much faster to find a sharing destination. The older version used the application and cache data to predict the application or action you might want in a long, messy list. In Android 10, sharing is divided into logical panes: the frequent recipients of your messages, followed by four applications suggested according to their use, and finally an alphabetical list of all possible application destinations. This makes it much faster to search for the app you want when you are not using SMS.

Focus mode

Google introduced Digital Wellbeing in Android 9 as a way to track the use of your phone, which certainly opened the eyes. In Android 10, Google wants to help us solve this problem.

In addition to Well Down and application timers, Digital Wellbeing in Android 10 will also have a new feature called Focus Mode. As its name suggests, Focus mode requires you to stay focused on your work by disabling the annoying apps of your choice, like Candy Crush or Twitter. Unlike application timers, this is a function turned on or off, so you should turn off the focus mode only when you are ready for a break. Fortunately, Google has simplified things with a Quick Settings shortcut that allows you to disable it with one click.

Android 10 focus mode — Focus mode allows you to close applications that might distract you from the task at hand.

The inclusion of Family Link is also new in Digital Wellbeing. The Parental Control service was previously available through a separate application. Google now includes it in the main Android settings, which allows you to quickly create an account and limit the activities of your children, as well as approve any request for overtime. It never really seemed logical that Family Link requires a separate download and application experience; so it's nice to see it all integrated now.

Privacy

In recent editions, Google has strived to make Android more private and transparent. Version 10 continues its efforts, although many changes take place behind the scenes. For example, applications can not access clipboard data or device information, such as IMEI and serial number, without privileged permission.

There are new powerful settings and switches if you know where to find them. First, there is a new Privacy menu in Settings, in which Google has collected many controls to limit the number of devices that the company can access. Most of the commands remain available in the other menus (location history, announcements, locked screen contents, etc.), but it is useful to have them all in one place. A new accessibility usage tab also tells you if some apps have full access to your device. In my case, 1Password was the only application with full access, but this tab facilitates the closing of the most harmful of the list.

In the Privacy tab, you will also find a new permissions manager. Apart from the new name, it is identical to the old Application Permissions tab. As before, you will be able to see which applications are accessing items such as the camera, contacts and microphone. Note, however, a significant change in the location settings: instead of a toggle that allows or simply blocks access, there is a new option: only allow when using the # 39; s application. This means that an application will not be able to access location data unless you use it explicitly. You do not have to worry about being followed by applications running in the background.

Since most users are not aware of the change, Google will issue occasional alerts to tell you which apps are accessing your location. From time to time, you will receive a notification informing you that a specific application has got your location in the background because it can still access your site. To change the authorization, you simply have to press the notification to access the authorization settings of this application.

WiFi password sharing

There's always something your guests want before a drink or a bowl of french fries: your Wi-Fi password. In Android 10, Google makes it easier to transmit. Go to your Wi-Fi settings, tap the network you're connected to and you'll see a new Share button. Tap to display a QR code that can be scanned by a QR reader on another phone.

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