Android 10: verdict after one month of use

Android 10: verdict after one month of use

After several weeks of use, News Technology takes stock of Android 10. On a daily basis, some new features upset the use of Android more than others

Android 10 landed on Google Pixel in early September. Therefore, the new mobile OS is deployed gradually on recent mobiles in the form of update or just installed on some of the latest models. It has been several weeks that News Technolgy uses this new version every day, some of which changes the way Android is used. If the vast majority of these novelties are not seen, some of them are flagrant.

Android 10 © google

Google's new marketing strategy is now to replace the iconic name of desserts with the number of the Android version. And we must admit that at first, the use of Android 10 is not necessarily cake. The most obvious change is the absence of virtual buttons. No more button back, button "home" or to switch from one app to another. With Android 10, as with iOS, you have to relearn how to communicate with the interface with gestures. The advantage: the display is extended to the maximum. The disadvantage, learning is not obvious and even after several weeks of use, the operation is sometimes random.

An absence of itchy pimples

To return to the Home screen, place your finger at the bottom of the screen border and drag it up. Problem: the protective shells come to hinder the movement and it is necessary to take again several times. Another concern, according to the apps, this failed gesture can cause an involuntary action.

To display open applications as thumbnails and scroll or close them at once, you need to make the same move, but this time by holding your finger in the middle of the screen after dragging it to the top. For the same reasons, the success of this gesture is random. And often, it's the return to the home screen that snaps

The most perilous manipulation is that of backtracking. Again, you must slide your finger to the center from the right or left border of the mobile. Again, the possible protective shell hinder the gesture. The biggest concern comes from apps. If the gesture is not taken into account, it can very well generate an involuntary action. The excuse is that it is the case with some Google applications such as Gmail. Dragging your finger in this way on a message will archive it.

Finally, it is possible to switch from one app to another by sliding your finger sideways on the bottom edge of the screen. This gesture is probably the one that works best.

New and new bugs

With the betas of Android, even Google had admitted that his gesture system is not really intuitive. Despite efforts and a mini-training after the update, or the preparation of a new phone, it takes a long time for the gestures to be more precise. That said, it remains possible to find the virtual buttons from the parameters, then Buttons and gestures. It is in Navigation bar and gestures that you can opt for the display of the three usual buttons. It remains to be seen how the possible overcoating of phones support these gestures ....

The other visible innovation is that of Smart Reply. They work from any application and occur when a notification appears. Convenient for messages, they allow to answer, to consult a content or to carry out an action. This is particularly the case when an address is present. The module offers an icon that can launch navigation directly. When a message displays a question, suggestions for answers are also available, which gives the uncomfortable feeling that Android is reading over your shoulder.

Android 10 also offers an option called Digital Wellness. Activated by default, it allows to define time slots during which the mobile will not disturb you. A useful option that we will quickly forget once settled.

Android 10 pushes the personalization far

For the rest, the novelties are not obvious. The integration of all updates in the Play Store is an asset, but does not upset the habits. The advantage is that security updates happen on their own, but that's the kind of question the user should not have to ask. Likewise, if Google has added 50 new security and privacy settings, you have to go digging through the settings to find them. Most of the default settings are quite sufficient, but it is true that with Android 10, you can push the customization far.

Dark mode appears for the whole system in Settings / Customization and Preset Theme. It is also possible to add it in the shortcut buttons. It allows both to save battery on an Amoled screen and to facilitate reading in dim light. Using it or not is a matter of taste.

For the rest, News Technology has noticed that some bugs have appeared with the new OS. They mainly concern applications. This is particularly the case of Tweeter whose built-in browser tends to freeze, for example. This type of bug should be temporary, as with each new version of an OS. Finally, you should know that Google still reserves some new features to users of his Pixel phones.

WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER

News Technology has tested Android 10 for almost a month.

New gestures require a long learning time and are often hindered or imprecise.

Once set, the other novelties are forgotten.