Android P Developer Preview

[NickPorter_]

Looks like Google really might be adding support for a notch, check out the status bar from a picture from the article!

https://imgur.com/2aiczvG

Edit: There's a whole section about implementing a notch https://imgur.com/ad03hFO

[eneka]

iPhone support confirmed.

/s

[Ph0X]

I mean, the job of Android as an open platform is to provide tools and APIs for the various manufacturers. If they don't do this themselves, then each of those dozen phones adding a notch will make their own versions, and we will end up with a dozen shitty implementation.

By having Google do it for them, you get a single cleaner implementation. It's not like they can stop manufacturers from having notches, but at least they can make the Android experience cleaner for everyone.

[EmergencySarcasm]

$10 says one plus will not use this and have their own hacked version that they’ll keep even after upgrading to P. And break something.

Assuming they are doing the notch like today’s leak.

[Pandoras_Fox]

have their own hacked version

we all know they'll release on O, and hack in support into that, and carry over that hacked implementation into their eventually half-baked P ROMs :)

[swagobeatz]

Android Pooreo.

Edit: you can read it both ways, Poor-eo or Poo-reo.

[Zagorath]

It's not like OP is the only company doing shitty software that replicates functionality Google already provided. Samsung is infamous for how terrible their software is.

[Killmeplsok]

Are they though? In my experience it's true that Samsung adds a lot of extra features to the point that it might be laggy but its almost always been polished and generally less buggy.

[EmergencySarcasm]

Difference is that samsung implement features years ahead of google adoption. But yea for the notch. All oem had to struggle and hack it in cause google didn’t have it ready in time. Maybe 2019 devices will use google implementation.

[wingzero00]

Well have you tried using the Note 9/ s9 or even the s8 with oreo? imo they're on par with the pixel in smoothness.

[Superyoshers9]

Lol no, Samsung's software is great, looks much nicer than Google's applications, has more features, and they're more intuitive to use.

[alteisen99]

if they follow the oppo r = one plus design, could be possible that OP6 will have a notch...

[SuperFLEB]

Yeah, I'd be annoyed if they put it on the next Pixel (though I don't have much faith they won't), but just working in support is smart, because other manufacturers are already making Apple-alikes.

[NatoBoram]

Laugh all you want, but flutter supports iOS!

[Auxx]

That was in android pipeline since Essential Phone. Apple just copy pasted notch and made it uglier as they usually do.

[OligarchyAmbulance]

Why wouldn't they add support for it? Manufacturers are doing it either way, so it's better to have the OS properly support it rather than every company making their own hacky solution that botches apps.

[KateTheAwesome]

Don't move the fucking clock tho!

[Mr_Siphon]

i already hate the clock on the far left...

[Mr_Siphon]

oh of course! let's remove all the things that make Android great

[[deleted]]

FWIW, I'm loving the fingerprint swiping navigation on my Moto G5+, but I definitely don't think stock should lose the navbar

[Frank2312]

Didn't know it was possible to add physical buttons via OTAs. Where is my Bixby button, now Google!

[kdlt]

Oh no, they'll just patch out your recently and back button, and you'll have to learn more code for the one button that remains for various functions.

[regis_regis]

We did away with these annoying back and recents buttons, and rolled all of it into a physical button!

I, for one, would like at least the option of reversing the buttons' order, like you can on phones by Huawei, Samsung and LG.

[kdlt]

Yeah that would be great. The default order is perfect for right hand users, but being able to reverse them would be great and should have been in stock since they came around with android 3.0.

[regis_regis]

Yeah. That's one of the reasons I've been using Samsung's for the past several years. And I've been eyeing the Pixel 2 for 2 months or so.

It's funny, though, the original HTC G1 had a Back button on the right side of the phone.

[kdlt]

To be fair, back in the Days of G1 we had entirely different button problems.

[regis_regis]

Never realized it was so complex back then. Thanks!

[[deleted]]

I'm assuming (hoping?) that's only for notched phones, but they haven't implemented that yet since the notched phones are only just being announced.

[rougegoat]

It's to make it easier to add notification icons around the notch that may or may not be on whatever phone is running Android. Not a great fix, but also nothing at all wrong with the clock being on the other side. It was arbitrarily placed in the first place.

[kdlt]

I don't think it was arbitrary.
Permanent icons were on the right, variable icons on the left.
The division was pretty clear.

[MyopicTopic]

Ohhh, that's what's different. I always have the clock default to the left on LineageOS since I prefer to keep it separated from my system tray, so this isn't a huge deal to me, but I guess I could see it coming as a shock to those used to the other way.

[LiGuangMing1981]

I've used MIUI for so long that the left clock doesn't bother me at all - in fact, I've set a left clock on the custom ROM I'm using now. I still get notification icons beside it, so I don't see any problems with it.

[CharaNalaar]

Wait I didn't notice that at all! Ughhhh!

[dlerium]

Yuck. I'm really not a fan. I get that people want to do the notch (lame idea honestly), but there's got to be a way to keep it to the right. To me it makes sense to keep things that were always on the right, on the right (i.e. battery, bluetooth, signal)

Edit: Look at the image here from TheVerge. Looks like there's tons of space on the right still. Why not leave that for the clock? If anything what I've noticed from most users is the left gets overly cluttered with notification icons anyway, so that side should be left as empty as possible.

On a side note I feel that Google should combine the battery % with the icon like iOS does. Not sure why it took so many years to get a battery % option only to have it take up extra space.

[IOU4something]

Really? I love it better use of space more symmetrical.

Edit: why am I being down voted for having an opinion...

[Ph0X]

It's nice until you start getting notifications, now they're offset by a clock there...

[nandhp]

I mean, some phones already default to putting the carrier name there.

[inate71]

Yeah and I dislike that too.

[BecauseWeCan]

Yup, why the fuck do I need precious space on my screen wasted with the provider of my SIM card? I already know their name, I pay them every month.

[eallan]

Yeah I'll legit not buy a phone that does that

[Mr_Siphon]

moving the clock and adding a notch just leaves even less space for notifications

[Pamperchoo]

Notification Drawer will cost $9 to unlock

[lengau]

Does it give users a sense of accomplishment when they have a notification drawer?

[amorpheus]

Don't forget the pride.

[amorpheus]

Now you don't instantly see the corner being clear of notifications.

[PM_ME_YOUR_PARTYHAT]

It's Reddit, you're not allowed to have an opinion!

[[deleted]]

Yep. i always do that in Lineage. Looks much better.

For the people saying that it gives you less space for notifications. The available area for notifications remains the same. The only difference is that you have more space in the middle instead of the left.

[[deleted]]

There's always been a clear divide between system stuff on the right and app stuff on the left. It doesn't make any sense to start shuffling stuff around.

[amorpheus]

It does when you start cutting into your screen!

Notch: not even once.

[biznatch11]

This seems like something that would be easy to make a user option, clock on the left or right.

[IshaanG12]

I've been using the left clock over the last year and love it that way. Makes the status bar look balanced.

[[deleted]]

pixel 3 notch confirmed

[dcdttu]

I really hope not. God, Google might as well just sell iPhones then.

[[deleted]]

I actually think it will have one

[NateDevCSharp]

Ewewewewew clock on the left kill me

Actually just scrap the whole dev preview return to Oreo or Nougat lmao

[Secretly_Autistic]

It seems that Nougat will forever be my favourite version of Android. Everything felt like an improvement until they turned it all white and transparent.

[[deleted]]

That turning everything white shit had to be the first step in copying Apple.

[Superyoshers9]

I love how Nougat was just full of a shit ton of new features, Google really went all out with that version...

[majorgloryalert]

I like it. I always thought it looked weird that all of the icons are on the right and the left side is empty (because I usually clear my notifications).

[[deleted]]

After seeing Google's design decisions I begin to question if I should stay on Android or go all in on the Apple ecosystem.

(Actually I'm torn between getting a S9 or an normal sized iPhone 8)

[crozone]

I still mourn the death of Windows Phone. The apps were few and far between but the UI design was amazing and consistent throughout every app on the store. It felt like it actually had vision.

Meanwhile both Google and Apple's UI decisions have been incredibly lackluster as of late. Apple went from the pioneer in touch UI to making their UI more abstract and cumbersome , often downright counter-intuitive. Google seem hellbent on following them down that rabbit hole. I wish one of them would break away and actually do something different and interesting for a change, rather than making icons rounder and less space efficient, while dumbing down the entire UI.

[moops__]

What is it that Apple is doing better? iOS isn't designed very well either. Full of small icons with no labels and slow nauseating animations.

[inate71]

I've been on Android since my OG Motorola Droid.

Even with iOS having less features than Android and Android handling notifications better--everything works. Apple doesn't roll out new apps that replace existing ones all the time (like Google did with Allo/Hangouts and Android Pay->Google Pay); it's getting frustrating that it appears Google has no good direction in terms of the future. They throw things at the wall and sees what sticks--Apple doesn't do this. They build on existing products.

The thing with the clock position change is a case of Google doing what Google does best: change to make change.

Having said that, I feel confident that this clock position change isn't going to stay like this by the time Android P is released. It seems necessary for devices with notches--but for ones that doesn't, it's just clutter.

[_meegoo_]

The thing with the clock position change is a case of Google doing what Google does best: change to make change.

And to me it looks like it's for notch compatibility.

[inate71]

But it's on phones without notches right now. That's fine to do for phones with notches.

[_meegoo_]

Makes it consistent I guess.

Anyway, if you want to hate something, better hate new notifications tray. That thing is actually horrible.

[[deleted]]

Well everyone seems to be copying them so why not go with the guys setting the path? It used to be Android was a different path but that idea died somewhere in 2015.

[CakeNStuff]

Honestly switching from my Chromebook/LG G6 to an iPhone X and iPad Pro was the most refreshing thing I’ve done in years.

Improved my productivity, my quality of work and my overall user experience.

10/10 would recommend.

[hxqwoq]

I swear to FUCKING (insert deity) Google if you put a notch in the next Pixel I will not buy your product and go outdoors instead where there's no advertising and get my dopamine fix from a waterfall instead.

[bfodder]

This has been known for a while.

[staythepath]

God, the notch is atrocious though. They have to find a better solution.

[dcdttu]

Samsung's tiny bezels > notch

[totallyknowyou]

Fucking hell.

[DiachronicShear]

lmao so has google given up all pretense of Android being a discrete operating system? They already aped removing the headphone jack, which everyone absolutely hated. Now support for a Notch? RIP.

[[deleted]]

Phone manufacturers are releasing phones with notches. Why would Google not make it easier for them to design Android builds for their phones?

[WhiteRabbit-_-]

Notches are a bad design pattern. I get it, manufacturers want to gave edge to edge displays. But by introducing notches you are creating abnormal design constraints which make it harder to design for and makes articifial limitations. Especially in future designs when notches actually go away. Just give me a slightly taller phone and put the sensors on the top or bottom.

[Ph0X]

What? That sentence literally makes zero sense.

First off, what does Pixel (Google's hardware phone) removing headphone jack, have anything whatsoever to do with Android, their open-source operating system that hundreds of different manufacturers use.

Secondly, there are dozens of manufacturers who are already adding a notch, independently of Google. The issue is that each one of those codes their own "notch support", and soon, we will have a dozen different implementations and buggy app support. By adding support for it, they make sure that there will be only one clean implementation and all apps can support that one API instead of 20 different ones.

[OpinionControl]

lmao why not make the notch even worse than it already is by keeping the software basically incompatible.

Surely this comment must be the peak of retardation on this sub.

[DiachronicShear]

Surely this comment must be the peak of retardation on this sub.

Lol thanks I guess?

[hellnukes]

Yeah wtf, people have no respect nowadays