Google unveils Android P beta with gesture navigation & smart features

Google unveiled a slew of new features for its next major Android operating system Android P and released a beta version to select handsets.

At its annual developers' conference Google I/O in California, Google said it aims to make it easier for users to navigate and access various functions on the phone in a smarter way to help them "to do more by using the phone less".

Android P, due to be released later this year, uses machine learning to learn to how consumers use apps in order to prioritize battery power only for the apps and services the consumer use the most. Phones will also learn how to adjust the user's screen brightness by studying their manual adjustments.

It would feature a new dashboard that tells users how often, when and for how long they have been using every app on the phone.

It would show how many minutes the phone was used overall per day, how many notifications were received, a pie chart of how long users have used each app on the phone that day and how long per day users' have used each app on the device -- broken down hour by hour.

It would also allow them to set app usage limits for themselves. For instance, users can set a half-hour limit on Twitter or Instagram per day. Once those 30 minutes are up, the app icon would automatically become dull.

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Android P also includes a new revamped interface that uses a iPhone-like gesture navigation and smarter ways to access functions that are usually buried away inside apps.

The interface will no longer have a multitasking button that shows all the apps running in the background. Users can "swipe up" the Home button to browse through background apps and suggested apps. A second swipe up will open the app drawer.

The Do Not Disturb feature has been updated to introduce a new Shush mode that automatically enters the do not disturb mode if someone flips their phone face down on a table. Android P also features a 'Wind Down Mode' that will fade the phone screen to greyscale at a designated bedtime to help users disconnect before bed.

Android P would completely revamp the core navigation on the device. It would not have the multitasking button that shows all the apps running in the background. Users can use the "Home" button to navigate the background apps.

There are also new updates in volume control and screen rotation feature. Users can now put the phone on silent mode with a single touch and set the screen rotation to landscape or portrait on the spot with a small icon that appears when a spin is detected.

Android P Beta is available in beta starting today for Google Pixel devices and six other smartphones including Sony Xperia XZ2, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, Nokia 7 Plus, Oppo R15 Pro, Vivo X21, OnePlus 6, and Essential PH‑1.

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