Day doesn't understand the darkness of night! How does Android Q beat iOS 13?

Google I/O 2019 will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California from May 7 to 9. Although Google did not preview any hardware plans this year, the annual regular appearance of the new Android system Android Q at this Google I/O has become a highlight of this conference.

In recent years, there have been many competitions between iOS and Android. The UI of the new iOS has been repeatedly accused of "copying" Android, but people are still more concerned about the confrontation between these two completely different systems. Rather than a contest between Apple and Google, it is more like a direct confrontation between the two concepts of closed and open source. Coincidentally, the release time of both systems was also set in the dry autumn.

01 UI design: Folding screens give Google a headache

The advantage of Apple's designers is that they only need to adapt Apple's own products, which is also the benefit of a closed system. However, Google's designers have to worry about many more things, especially when mobile phone forms begin to become diversified, system adaptation becomes a huge problem.

Since last year, many manufacturers have begun to announce their plans for foldable phones. Apple currently has no similar plans, but many Android manufacturers have already started planning. Therefore, Google is bound to provide adaptation for foldable screens in Android Q.

At the beginning of last month, Google released the second beta version of Android Q. In this beta version, Google added a new simulator for testing new features, such as testing foldable phones, which currently include Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. Obviously, the changes in UI design brought about by the changes in the appearance of the phone are still an experiment for Google and are worth looking forward to.

02 Gesture upgrade: learn from iOS

Support for gestures has been the direction that Android has been catching up with iOS in recent years. Starting with Android P, Google has strengthened the gesture function, hoping to bring a smoother experience to users. After the trial of the previous generation system, the gesture system in Android Q has also been further enhanced.

Currently, Google is experimenting with a side-swipe gesture similar to Huawei's EMUI and Xiaomi's MIUI. From the previously leaked preview image, it can be seen that users can hide the back button and replace it with a left or right swipe gesture.

In addition, there are subtle changes in the color of the gesture bar, which will make the gesture bar change according to the actual content of the background screen. At present, we can confirm that this new gesture will appear on the Google Pixel 2 XL of Android Q beta 2.

At the same time, Google also hopes to achieve a function similar to 3D Touch. When Android 8.0, Google introduced a long press gesture. In Android Q, when the user presses hard, the touch action on the touch screen will be classified as a "deep press" screen, which will speed up the response of the long press action.

03 Global dark mode: more energy-efficient and easier on the eyes

Previously, the XDA community had obtained a Pixel 3 XL phone running an early version of Android Q. As the leaks indicate, the new Android Q brings us a global dark mode feature. And judging from its current adaptation status, its adaptation has reached a usable level, including but not limited to the main system interface, and even the built-in Chrome, Contacts, Store, YouTube and other core apps will switch accordingly.

Coincidentally, iOS 13 will also add a global dark mode feature this year. The two companies may call it differently, but the core purpose is only one, which is to make it more convenient for users who work at night and make the device more power-saving.

04 Further opening up permissions

Android Q will open up more permissions for default applications, especially some third-party application permissions. This new feature introduced by Google is called "Roles", and the operating system can grant applications higher access to system functions. In the early days, the applications corresponding to "Roles" included browsers, dialers, SMS (text messaging) applications, launchers, music players, album apps, and emergency applications.

It is worth mentioning that the new native screen recording function is also a manifestation of open permissions. Users can go to "Settings>System>Advanced>Developer Options>Function Flags" and turn on "settings_screenrecord_long_press" to enable the screen recording function. After that, users can long press the power button to call out the menu, and long press the screenshot button to start screen recording. During this period, you can pause and stop control through the options on the notification bar.

05 Conclusion

iOS and Android will continue to compete, but both seem to be unable to compete. The two operating systems are beginning to converge in terms of UI and functions. If Android Q wants to beat iOS at the system level, it is undoubtedly crucial for Google to continue to maintain openness. Obviously, Google understands this better than anyone else.