Connect with us

Google

Android 15 QPR1 brings Pixel battery optimization and tests color status bar icons

Published

on

Android 15 Easter Egg

Top 3 Key Points:

  1. Pixel devices get a new feature to limit battery charging to 80%.
  2. Google is testing colorful app icons for notifications in the status bar.
  3. The changes aim to extend battery life and experiment with notification visuals.

The Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 introduces a new option to limit battery charging to 80% for Pixel phones. This feature is designed to improve battery longevity by preventing overcharging, especially useful for users who often leave their phones plugged in for extended periods.

Initially, in Beta 1, some users encountered issues where the new charge limit could not be disabled. However, this problem has been fixed in Beta 2, allowing full control over the feature. After plugging in your device, you’ll find a new “Charging optimization” option under Settings > Battery. This menu now offers two choices: Adaptive Charging and Limit to 80%. The latter restricts charging to 80% and once enabled, a shield icon will appear on your status bar, and your phone will show as “Done charging” at 80%. This feature mimics the experience found on the Pixel Tablet when docked to a Charging Speaker.

Although this feature is now available, Google hasn’t yet updated its support documentation to explain the new charging limits in detail. That information is expected to be released closer to the official Android 15 QPR1 launch in December.

In addition to this battery optimization, Google is experimenting with a potential redesign of status bar notifications. Currently, Android users see simple notification icons at the top of their screen. In this test, Google is swapping these icons for the full-color app icons from your home screen. The change applies to both the status bar and the always-on display.

The experiment introduces both colorful and monochrome icons. However, the colorful icons can look cluttered with small symbols that are hard to identify, and the monochrome versions often blend into the background, making them difficult to see. While this new look for notifications is still in testing, it shows that Google is exploring ways to make Android more visually dynamic. Whether or not this feature will roll out to all users remains uncertain for now.

These updates are part of Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance user experience in Android, focusing on battery optimization and rethinking visual elements like notifications.

Source/Via

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Google

Google brings new AI tools for learning languages and adds more features to Wallet and NotebookLM

Published

on

Google

Google is rolling out several new AI-powered features to help users learn languages, manage documents, and store IDs more easily.

First, Google is introducing new language learning tools through its Search app. These tools use AI to give users personalized lessons to practice speaking and listening in Spanish. English speakers in the U.S. can try these lessons, which include feedback and daily reminders. Google plans to expand support for more languages and regions soon.

Next, NotebookLM — Google’s AI note-taking tool — is getting smarter. It now offers “audio overviews,” where users can listen to summaries of their notes. This feature works in English, but Google says more languages like Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese will be added later this year. NotebookLM can also now answer questions based on user documents in more languages.

Lastly, Google Wallet is becoming more useful in the UK. People can now add digital versions of their UK passports for identity verification. This feature, in partnership with the UK government, helps users quickly confirm their identity online for government services.

With these updates, Google continues to blend AI into everyday tools, making learning, organizing, and identification easier and more accessible for users worldwide.

 

Continue Reading

Android

Google apps and Android Auto get fresh looks and smart updates

Published

on

Android Auto

Google is bringing a cleaner and more modern design to many of its apps with the latest Material You changes. Apps like Google Calendar, Contacts, and others now have rounded corners, better spacing, and improved colors. These small updates make the apps look more polished and easier to use, especially on tablets and foldable phones. Google is quietly adding these updates through server-side changes, so users don’t need to download anything extra.

At the same time, Android Auto is also getting a helpful new feature. Google is testing built-in climate controls that let you adjust your car’s temperature and fan settings directly from the Android Auto screen. A demo shown by Google includes a new “Climate” button on the screen, which opens controls like temperature, fan speed, and even seat heaters.

This update is meant to reduce distractions while driving, as drivers won’t need to switch between different screens or reach for physical buttons. Google says the feature will work on cars that already support digital climate control systems.

Together, these changes show how Google is making its software not just prettier, but smarter and more user-friendly. Whether you’re checking your calendar or driving to work, these improvements are designed to make daily tasks easier and safer.

Continue Reading

Google

Gemini app gets new look and better controls for switching ai models

Published

on

Gemini

Google is giving its Gemini app a fresh new design on Android to make things easier for users. The biggest change is how you switch between different Gemini AI models like Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemini 1.0 Pro.

In the old version of the app, you had to dig into the settings menu to switch models, which wasn’t very convenient. But now, Google has made it simpler by adding a new button right below the chat box. This lets you quickly choose the AI model you want to use. You’ll also see a short note explaining what each model is good at, helping you decide which one to use.

The new layout also moves the microphone and image upload buttons. They now sit to the left of the text input bar, which makes the bottom of the screen look cleaner and more organized.

These updates seem to be rolling out slowly, so not everyone will see them right away. However, it looks like Google is testing these changes before launching them more widely.

With this update, Google is trying to make the Gemini app more user-friendly and give people more control over how they interact with its AI tools. It’s a small but helpful step in improving the overall experience.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 I AM Judge