Are you able to guess which Android function was Jack Wallen’s favourite for 2020? Learn on to seek out out.
Picture: Jack Wallen
This 12 months wasn’t precisely essentially the most nice in memory–at least not for society as a complete. Nevertheless, for know-how, 2020 wasn’t all that unhealthy. Certain, a lot of individuals had to determine the entire work-from-home factor, however that wasn’t actually all that difficult, because it seems. As for the cellular house, there was lots to have fun, regardless of your most well-liked platform.
Android had numerous wins this 12 months. The Google Pixel 5 was a much-improved tackle Google’s flagship line of units. Android 11 took the platform and polished nearly every little thing that was already pretty spectacular within the working system.
SEE: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020: Galaxy Z Fold2, Samsung Galaxy S20, and more (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
After all, with every launch, there are new options to be discovered. Though Android 11 was extra about bettering an already strong platform, it did provide a couple of good additions:
Not all the above options could be helpful to each Android person. Personally, I exploit the display screen recording, notification historical past, one-time permissions, and chat bubbles. The opposite options? Not a lot.
There’s one function the Google devs rolled out that had me taking pictures my fingers into the air to say, “Lastly!”
What’s that function? App pinning to the Share menu.
That is proper, a function that ought to have been out there a protracted, very long time in the past, was lastly delivered to life within the 11th iteration of the platform. This specific new function is one that almost all Android customers will make use of.
It makes sharing a lot extra environment friendly. Previous to Android 11, after I’d go to share, I by no means knew the place the apps would wind up within the menu, and usually, I are inclined to share by way of a minimal variety of apps:
SMS
Google Drive
Gmail
Fb Messages
That is it. Having these apps on the high of the Share menu makes the method far simpler.
The caveat
When Android 11 was in beta, this function labored to perfection, however one thing occurred on the best way to the ultimate launch. Now, after I go to share, these pinned apps aren’t on the high of the Share menu. As an alternative, Android AI insists it is aware of finest. Happily, there is a Extra button to faucet, which lastly reveals the common share menu–which contains these pinned apps (Determine A).
Determine A
The Extra button will reveal your pinned apps.
Additionally, the AI does not make options for each Share menu occasion to seem. For instance: For those who go to share a photograph, AI will do it is factor. Nevertheless, in case you share a screenshot or copy textual content to share, the pinned apps are proper there on the high.
I get what Android is making an attempt to do, nevertheless it actually ought to keep out of the best way of what I need to do. That has all the time been probably the greatest options of Android–it permits me to decide on how I need to work. Having to second-guess which Share menu will seem might be irritating.
Do not get me fallacious, I am all for AI serving to to enhance the cellular expertise, however on this occasion, the AI is getting in the best way, inflicting me an additional faucet to get what ought to take priority.
Even with this caveat, being able to pin apps to the Share menu is method overdue. Google rolling this function out in 2020 not less than made the Android expertise a bit higher.
Certain, there are extra essential options present in Android 11 (reminiscent of battery optimization and permissions), however having a function that instantly impacts how customers work with the platform offers Share menu app pinning a bump to the perfect Android function of 2020.
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