Unlike Apple, which has full control over its hardware and software, the
Androidiverse is far more fractured. But one of Android’s greatest
faults may also be an asset. The many flavors of the operating system
across so many different manufacturers give Google a lot of ideas to pick from
to add to its stock Android platform. And the latest version, Android 5.0 (aka
Lollipop) contains plenty of these you’ll want to know about. Here are our
favorites. (Note: We tested on a Nexus 9 tablet, which runs Android more or
less as Google envisioned it, but your experience may differ on other devices.)
Wake Your Device With Your Voice
You can now wake up your Android Device just by saying “Okay Google,” though
this has some scary implications: It means your device has the capability to always
be listening—even when it’s off. Luckily, you have to opt in. (We should also note
that this feature is only available on devices with the appropriate hardware, such
as the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, though other manufacturers may use it in the future.)
If your device supports this function and you’d like to enable it, go into the Google
Now app, then navigate to Settings > Voice > “OK Google” Detection, and toggle
on “Always on.” This will ask you to say the phrase three times in order to “train your
phone.” Once you do all that, your phone can eavesdrop on you. Hooray?
Guest Mode
Lollipop lets owners add guest users to a single device. This way, a number of
people can use the same device but not run into all their same apps, preferences,
passwords, and other digital flotsam (in other words, it’s perfect for multiple
family members who want to use the same phone or tablet). To add guest users,
just double-pull down the notification panel and choose the identity icon in the
top-right corner. This is also available via Settings > Users.
Built-In Flashlight
As of this writing, there is a flashlight app on Google Play’s top free app charts.
You can be assured that at any given time there will be some flashlight app on the
top charts of Google Play. Why? Because they’re really useful to have around!
Apple’s iPhones have featured a built-in flashlight function for a while, and now it’s
come to Google. Although you’re free to download any number of flashlight apps
(some of which are sketchy), Lollipop comes with a one-touch toggle available via
the swipe-down notification pane.
Easy to Cast
Android makes it easy to cast content from any device to any Chromecast or
Android TV on your shared Wi-Fi network. (There’s no need to download an
additional Chromecast app—it’s now baked in.) To access this, swipe down the
control panel and hit “Cast screen” or go to Settings > Display > Cast screen.
Pinning the Apps on the Android
Lollipop gives you the option to “pin” apps. This means that the app sort of takes
over your device; in other words, you can navigate inside that app, but it’s very
difficult to leave. This function may be useful if you have a habit of accidentally
hitting the navigation buttons and leaving what you were doing. This also may aid
parents in that they can hand a child a YouTube video to watch, but not have them
jump around into the rest of the device.
To activate this function, go to Settings > Security > Advanced > Screen pinning
and toggle it on. Now when you go to Overview, pinnable apps will feature a little
blue thumbtack icon in the bottom-right corner of their card. Tap that and Android
will ask you to confirm that you indeed want to pin it. And then you’re pinned.
To break the pin, the official directions say you just have to hold down the Back
and Overview buttons—this didn’t work for me. In fact, I found that I had to hold
them down and swipe up into a Google Search.
Turn Off Annoying App Notifications
The Android development team has made the very wise decision to streamline
the process for organizing app notifications. Whenever you find yourself
confronted with an unwanted app notification, you can easily block it from
bothering you ever again. Just long-press the notification to prompt an
information panel, which gives you an option to directly access that app’s
notification option (via a little “I” icon). From here, you can choose to make these
notifications a priority or block them altogether.
Conversely, you can access all your apps’ notification privileges via
Settings > Sound & notification > App notifications.
Lock Screen Notifications
Lollipop gives you the ability to view detailed notifications directly on your lock
screen. You can even dismiss them with a swipe left or right without unlocking
your device. This is a neat little function that can help make your digital day a little
bit easier, but it also leaves your info open to anyone who happens to pick up your
device. If you want to turn off this function, just go to Settings > Sound &
notification > When device is locked and change the setting to “Don’t show
notifications at all.”
Battery 2.0
Although not as extreme as the Ultra Power Saving mode in Samsung’s Galaxy S5,
which can keep your phone running for days, this new stock feature will prolong
the life of your battery by what Google claims is an additional 90 minutes. It does
this by reducing your device’s performance, limiting vibrations, and only updating
apps if you specifically open them.
The easiest way to access this function is to double-swipe down to reveal the
battery icon, which lets you see at a glance how much life you have left. Simply tap
the battery to go to the “Battery” page. Here you can tap the menu in the top-right
corner (the three dots) and select “Battery saver.” From here, you can toggle the
Battery saver feature on and off as well as set a trigger point in your battery (either
5 or 15 percent full) for when it will turn on. (Note: This function turns off by
default if your device is plugged in.)
Support for the Color-Blind
Google has added a function that will “correct” screens so they’re more viewable
by people with certain forms of color-blindness. (Note: This function comes with
the warning that the function is experimental and “may affect performance.”) Just
go to Settings > Accessibility > Display and click on “Color correction.” This will give
you the option to correct the screen for Deuteranomaly (red-green colorblindness),
Protanamaly (red-green), and Tritanomaly (blue-yellow).
PC MAGAZINE
Pinning the Apps on the Android
Lollipop gives you the option to “pin” apps. This means that the app sort of takes
over your device; in other words, you can navigate inside that app, but it’s very
difficult to leave. This function may be useful if you have a habit of accidentally
hitting the navigation buttons and leaving what you were doing. This also may aid
parents in that they can hand a child a YouTube video to watch, but not have them
jump around into the rest of the device.
To activate this function, go to Settings > Security > Advanced > Screen pinning
and toggle it on. Now when you go to Overview, pinnable apps will feature a little
blue thumbtack icon in the bottom-right corner of their card. Tap that and Android
will ask you to confirm that you indeed want to pin it. And then you’re pinned.
To break the pin, the official directions say you just have to hold down the Back
and Overview buttons—this didn’t work for me. In fact, I found that I had to hold
them down and swipe up into a Google Search.
Search Is Everywhere
Google’s search bar is always on top of the Lollipop home screen—in fact, it
doesn’t seem possible to get rid of it. (I think Google Search is a bit of everyday
magic, so I’m okay with that.) You can quickly prompt a search by tapping the
search bar or by tapping any of the bottom buttons and swiping up. This even
works when you’re in an app.
If you’re a fan of Google Now, you can access it by swiping all the way over to the
left. Just make sure it’s turned on, which you can do via Google Settings—easily
accessed by typing “google” in your Google search bar.
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