Android 10 released for Google Pixel phones, adds Dark Theme, new gestures and more
Google has released the Android 10 update.
Android 10 is rolling out for all the Pixel phones, including the original Pixel.
It is rolling out for the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, and Pixel XL.
As speculated, Google has finally released the Android 10 update. It is now rolling out over-the-air (OTA) for all the Pixel phones, including the original Pixel. For the latest Android version, Google decided to break the 10-year history, and ship it without a dessert name. The company says it is doing so to make it clear and relatable for global users. Android 10 adds multiple changes to the system UI to improve the end user experience. Some of the major changes include:
Android 10 Dark Theme
Android 10 update adds Dark Theme to Android. It essentially reduces eye strain, and helps save battery as well. Apart from modifying the system UI, dark mode is also available for supporting apps. Moreover, there are eight different accent colours available in the developer options, namely, Blue (default), Black, Green, Purple, Cinnamon, Ocean, Space, and Orchid.
Developers can opt-in to a new Force Dark feature if they don’t want to build their own dark theme but are willing to create a dark version of the app.
Users can enable Dark Theme in two different ways: by activating the Dark Theme from Settings> Display, and by toggling on Battery Saver.
New Gesture navigation
The Back button is a thing of the past with Android 10. Google has introduced new gestures to the system UI, and has defended the decision by saying, “gestures can be a faster, more natural and ergonomic way to navigate your phone.”
However, the tech giant has given the option to toggle between gesture navigation, 2-button navigation, and 3-button navigation, so users can still switch back to the original navigation method. Users can enable the new gestures from Settings> System > Gestures.
Privacy controls
Google is focusing on prioritising user privacy with Android 10. It is extending transparency and control that users have over their data and app capabilities. We discovered that users can also toggle off the Voice & Audio Activity to pause Google from recording their voice and audio on Google services. You can toggle it off from Settings> Privacy> Activity Controls. Android 10 privacy controls also include Location History, and Ad Settings, amongst other options.
Other enhanced privacy and security features include scoped storage, which allows apps to access only the particular required file, instead of accessing all files. Moreover, with Android 10, you will be able to limit access to your location in the app while using it.
Android 10 update also adds Bubbles, enhanced notifications and sharing shortcuts, and more. We have a detailed article of all the major new features of Android 10, which you can read here.