Every quarter, Google breathes new life into the Pixel lineup with Pixel feature drops. Each Pixel feature drop adds new software features exclusive to Pixel smartphones, ranging from extremely useful features such as: AI capabilities powered by Gemini Nano Even more mundane things like new wallpapers and expanded language support. Most new features are announced in feature drop rollouts through app or server-side updates to Google apps, but some new features come from the OS itself. While some of these new OS features are promoted in Google's announcements and social media posts, many are never heavily promoted.
For example, Google promoted a new feature. Webcam functionality in Android 14 and repair mode It was mentioned in the December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop marketing, but not mentioned. Some other new features This update adds the ability to override app aspect ratios, display your phone's battery status, set different live wallpapers for your lock screen and home screen, and more. It's clear that Google is selective about which features it highlights, but that means you might miss the fact that a particular feature you've been waiting for unless you stumble upon it yourself. means.
Well, this post is here to save you trouble. We'll be covering all the new Android features coming in Google's next Pixel Feature Drop in March.away January 2024 pixel feature removal, all feature drops occur simultaneously with Android OS updates, from minor to major. Brought to you by October 2023 feature drop android 14the current major Android release, introduced Android 14 in a feature drop in December 2023. QPR1First quarterly platform release of Android 14.
Therefore, the March 2024 Pixel Feature Drop should bring Android 14 QPR2, the second interim update to Android 14, which is currently in beta. on the other hand, Current beta 3.1 release is near final stage in terms of features, but there is no guarantee that all the features described here will be included in next month's stable Android 14 QPR2 release. So keep that in mind when reading about these new features.
Android's Bluetooth Tile gets a long-awaited upgrade
No more jumping into the Settings app to switch between Bluetooth devices. In Android 14 QPR2,[クイック設定]Tapping the Bluetooth tile on the panel opens a pop-up dialog that allows you to switch between Bluetooth radios and paired Bluetooth devices. There's also a “Pair New Device” button, but tapping it just opens a full Bluetooth settings page.
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This is a feature that other Android-based OSes such as One UI have had for a long time, so it's good to see Google Add to Android 14 QPR2. This feature is now part of the Android OS codebase, so device manufacturers using Android that don't already have this feature will be able to ship it.But you'll probably have to wait until then android 15 Check if the (complicated) distribution method of Android OS allows it to appear on other devices that don't have Android OS installed yet.
Installing updates is now even faster
Android's Seamless Update feature minimizes downtime for the OTA update process as the device does all patching and optimization in the background. One downside, however, is that it is notoriously slow, and updates can take an hour or more to complete. The good news is that Google has done some of the magic. Seamless updates are now much faster In Android 14 QPR2.
To find out how they did it, check out Android Police Founder Artem Rusakovsky shared technical details So much for his X profile. The good news is that these improvements apply to all devices using Android's latest seamless update scheme. That said, some popular devices, samsung galaxy s24 series does not support Android's seamless update feature.
You can now hide notifications from screen recordings
Have you ever had to restart a screen recording because a notification popped up that you didn't want to share with the world? Change from recording the entire screen or recording a single app when starting a screen recording on Android 14 QPR2 Added options. When you record your entire screen, everything you see and do will appear in your screen recording. On the other hand, recording a single app only records the content of that app.
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This partial screen recording feature, like other features in Android 14 QPR2, will also be coming to other Android devices in Android 15.
You can now hide notifications while mirroring your screen
Similarly, Android's screencast feature in Android 14 QPR2 now has the option to cast a single app instead of the entire screen. In other words, when you mirror your screen to any location, chrome cast– Compatible displays allow you to hide various UI elements and, more importantly, prevent notifications from appearing on your display.
This feature will be available on other devices with Android 15, but be aware that some OEMs, such as Samsung, have disabled screencast tiles on Android in favor of their own solutions. However, Samsung's screen mirroring service called Smart View has long offered the ability to mirror a single app.
You can finally search the app list on the taskbar
If you have a large number of apps installed, it can be tedious to scroll through the list of apps to find the exact one you want to launch. If you know what you want to launch, you can filter the list of apps by typing its name in the launcher's search bar, but the search bar is only available on the home page. Android 14 QPR2 adds a search bar to the taskbar app drawer, so you don't need it anymore.
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Easier control over which apps can access your camera or microphone
Your phone's microphone and camera are two of its most sensitive sensors, as they can be used to record your most private moments. That's why, android 12, Google introduced a privacy indicator in the status bar that appears whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. Android 14 QPR2 has changed the UI that appears when you tap the privacy indicator.
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Previously, tapping the indicator opened a full-screen page that was essentially a mini version of the Safety Center experience that Google introduced in Android 13, but now it opens a pop-up dialog.
This dialog allows you to see which apps are actively using your microphone or camera, quit apps using them, manage access to these sensors, and view recent usage of these sensors. You can check.
Now you can easily share your Wi-Fi network with others
Android 14 QPR2 adds a new “Share Wi-Fi” button to the pop-up dialog that appears when you tap the “Internet” tile in Quick Settings. This button, which appears in the bottom left, opens an existing “Wi-Fi sharing page”. This page will display his QR code that others can scan to join your current network, as well as a button to share your current network credentials. quick share (Formerly Nearby Share).
Other changes
- The “Weather” lock screen clock now notifies you when an alarm is approaching or when Do Not Disturb is turned on.
- One of the most popular lock screen clock styles that Google introduced in Android 14 has been slightly tweaked in Android 14 QPR2. In the “weather” style, as it is known internally, an alarm icon will be displayed if an alarm is approaching, and his DND icon will be displayed if Do Not Disturb is on.
- Pixel Launcher now displays app labels on two lines.
- This is also self-explanatory. App labels in Pixel Launcher now occupy two lines instead of being truncated.
- “Limited” battery optimization mode has been removed
- If you like tinkering with battery settings, you might notice that the “Limited” battery optimization mode is gone in favor of an “Allow background usage” toggle. Meanwhile, his other two modes (namely “Optimized” and “Unlimited”) are displayed in a submenu. I'm not sure exactly what this change means, but it's probably to simplify things.
- You can now check your app's package name in settings
- Finally, here are some changes that power users will appreciate. The app's package name is now displayed at the bottom of the App Information page. The package name is a unique identifier for your app, and no two apps installed on your device can share the same package name.
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That's all the new Android features you'll actually get in Google's next Pixel Feature Drop. As usual, Android 14 QPR2 has a lot of hidden features that are still in development, but they won't be revealed until the next QPR at the earliest, but are more likely to arrive in Android 15.
