The next update of the Android OS is out, going up to version number 4.2.2, while retaining the “Jelly Bean” moniker. Google has been slowly pushing out updates for their Jelly Bean OS, but their own Nexus phones are the only ones to get these updates instantly and we happen to have one in our labs.
If you’re wondering what new this update will bring to your phone, then we are here to help. For starters, once you’ve updated to Android 4.2.2, you will find that your downloads from the Play store will display an ETA. Computer users have had this functionality for a while now, so seeing it make it into a mobile OS is nice. We didn’t appreciate the mystery surrounding the time to complete a particular download.
Second change in the new OS is a tweak to the Quick Settings option. Long pressing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth now toggles them in the Quick Settings bar in the notifications instead of taking you to a settings page. This could of course be a little confusing, given that the Airplane Mode is still a single press toggle. So in total, some settings end up being single press toggles (airplane mode only), some are long press toggles and some options will still take you to the settings page.
Lastly, Google’s introduced a pair of new sounds, one for wireless charging and another for when the battery is low. Earlier, if the phone was being charged wirelessly, it did not make any audible notification, but 4.2.2 rectifies that. The sound for “low battery” has also been changed, which might come as a relief to some who found the older sound somewhat questionable.
While the update does bring many OS level changes, subtle tweaks and fixes, these four are the most obvious and user-related.