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Wed, May 19, 2021 | Updated 11.36AM IST
Gadgets Now

12 biggest features Google will add to your Android smartphone in 2021

Gadgets Now | Debashis Sarkar19 May, 2021, 10:52AM IST

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Google has announced Android 12 operating system-- the next big Android version-- at Google I/O 2021. The beta version of the OS is available for phones from 11 brands including Vivo, OnePlus, Oppo, OnePlus, Pixel and others. Note that some of the features are available only on Google Pixel phones and will arrive later this year. The new Android 12 version aims to offer a unique colour theme, along with fast app loading times, better privacy features and more. Here are 12 biggest features coming to your Android phone this year.
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Android 12 will make your phone run faster and will save battery

Android 12 devices will be faster and more responsive with better power efficiency. Google has reduced the CPU time needed for core system services by up to 22% and reduced the use of big cores by the system server by up to 15% in Android 12 OS.

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​Android 12 comes with a new Privacy Dashboard to give you more control over apps

There’s a new Privacy Dashboard that offers a single view into your permissions settings as well as what data is being accessed, how often and by which apps. It also lets you easily revoke app permissions right from the dashboard.

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​A new indicator to alert you the moment an app uses the camera and microphone

There’s a new indicator to the top right of the status bar to let you know when any of the apps are accessing your microphone or camera. And if you want to remove app access to these sensors for the entire system, you can easily do it in Quick Settings.

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​Android 12 will come with a remote app to let you control smart TVs from your phoneUsing Android

TVs will be easier as Google has added remote support on Android phones.

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​Better Wi-Fi sharing with Nearby button

In Android 12, you can share Wi-Fi connection with your phone by sharing a QR code which you find in the “Nearby” button.

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​Android 12 makes it easier to use large phones with One-handed mode

Android 12 comes with a dedicated ‘One-handed’ mode that lets you use large phones easily with one hand.

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​Long pressing the power button activates Google Assistant on Pixel phones

You can now long press the power button to invoke Assistant to make a phone call, open apps, ask questions or read aloud text-heavy articles.

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Your Android phone will get a new look with ‘Material You’ interface design in Android 12

Android 12 operating system will completely change the look of the Android phone with the new Material You UI design. The interface comes with new colour options, animations, tile designs and more.

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​You can now provide approximate location to apps instead of accurate location

Android 12 also offers more control over how much location information you share with apps. With new approximate location permissions, apps can be limited to seeing just your approximate location instead of a precise one. For example, weather apps don’t need your precise location to offer an accurate forecast.

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​With colour extraction your phone will adjust to colour shades automatically

Beyond Light and Dark mode, Google is making Android phones look more personal with the kind of wallpaper you use. With Android 12 on Pixel devices, you will be able to completely personalize your phone with a custom color palette and redesigned widgets. With call colour extraction, you choose your wallpaper, and the system automatically determines which colors are dominant, which ones are complementary and which ones just look great. It then applies those colors across the entire OS: the notification shade, the lock screen, the volume controls, new widgets and more.

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​Android 12 quick tiles are larger and show more information

When you pull down the notification shade, you will see larger rectangular icons with rounded edges instead of round icons. With this you can perform more actions on the notification area itself without having to visit the settings menu. In case, you want to go to the detailed settings page, just long press any of the icons.

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​Android 12 comes with Private Compute Core that keeps audio and language information on your device

Android 12 comes with Private Compute Core. Private Compute Core enables features like Live Caption, Now Playing and Smart Reply. All the audio and language processing happens on-device, isolated from the network to preserve your privacy.