Android P beta with gesture controls released, Pixel gets a taste

The Google 2018 I/O conference is underway, and the Android P Beta public beta version has been released.

The Android P Beta program is open to Pixel phones - starting today, friends who own Pixel series (first and second generation), Essential PH-1, Sony Xperia XZ2, Xiaomi MIX 2S, Nokia 7 Plus, Oppo R15 Pro, Vivo X21 and OnePlus 6, a total of 11 phones, can flash Android P beta to try it out!

You can try the next version of Android with just one click, without having to unlock the bootloader, etc. But please note that Google clearly tells you that this is a beta test version, which means there are risks.

The new feature that Android P will introduce is the iPhone X-style gesture interface. A small white dot will appear at the bottom of the Android home page. You can return to the home page by tapping it, and you can trigger Google Assistant by long pressing it. The current usage is the same as the original home button. However, the previous multitasking page is now called the overview screen. You can trigger it by tapping the small white dot and pushing it up; a larger push up will enter the app drawer. At the same time, swiping directly from the bottom of the screen to the right will switch between the apps you have used, just like the iPhone X.

In addition to the new gestures, the focus of Android P is still AI. Through artificial intelligence, Android P has added a feature called Adaptive Battery, which can learn the user's usage habits and predict when a specific app will be enabled. Normally, the app will be closed to save power. According to Google's calculations, this feature can reduce 30% of CPU activation activities. At the same time, this similar prediction function is also applied to adjusting the screen brightness. The new Adaptive Brightness will predict when the user will use the phone, thereby reducing the number of times the screen is turned on and off, achieving a power saving effect.

Android P's predictive capabilities go beyond power saving. The new predictive application systems Action and Slices can predict the next move the user will want to make and display the required buttons in advance. In the demonstration on stage, Google said that Action will be hidden in the first row of the app drawer. By learning the user's habits and patterns, it will display shortcuts to dial a designated contact and start a workout in Strava.

Other automated features include knowing how to give song recommendations when headphones are connected, and popping up YouTube shortcuts for trailers or ticketing service apps when searching for movie information on Google. Google said that Action will be seen in Google Assistant, Search, Play Store, and smart text selection, and its application range is quite wide.

In order to better utilize the AI ​​capabilities of Android P, Google has developed the MLKit framework, allowing developers to more easily add machine learning functions to their own apps. What's even better is that in addition to supporting offline and cloud access, it is also compatible with both Android and iOS platforms!

***, in order to deal with the problem of Android system upgrade fragmentation, Google has launched a new solution Project Treble. This plan released last year is to separate the core and surface of the Android system, and speed up the system upgrade process from the software and chip factory parts respectively. If necessary, Google will also provide assistance to manufacturers.