The Android O Developer Preview 3 was launched yesterday. In the past twenty four hours, we have been coming across a number of changes. While there aren’t any major changes or new features that have been introduced, there are a number of noticeable visual tweaks that provide a refreshed experience for the users. Let us take a look at these changes which are a part of the latest developers preview update for Android O.
Android O Developer Preview 3: What’s New
The third Android O Developer Preview is an important one, as it finalizes the APIs that need to be included in the apps that are targeted at the Android O OS for Play Store Publishing. The Android O Developer Preview 3 brings in a number of visual tweaks too. After this, another version of the Developer Preview will come out, following which the final build will start rolling out. The final build is expected to start rolling out in the first or second week of August for the Google Pixel smartphones. Here’s what’s new:
- Change the Shape of Pixel Launcher
We know that Android O focuses a lot on customizations since the very first developer preview update. However, the Android O Developer Preview 3 update brings in the ability to change the shape of icons in the Pixel launcher too. It includes the Square, Rounded Square and Squircle options that are a part of the previous updates, as well as a new shape, ‘teardrop’, which is shown above. This teardrop kind of looks like the chat bubble or the Google Allo icon.
- Color of Media Notifications Depend on Album Art Colors
Another interesting update that comes with the Android O Developer Preview 3 is that of the media notifications are now colorful. These notifications will now take the color of the album art of the track that is being played. It adds color to your music experience, and is a refreshing change from Google.
- Wi-Fi and Cellular Bar Icons Switch Positions
Well don’t you expect any fireworks from this update. There are a number of small changes that have been brought forward. When the Android O Developer Preview 2 came out, Google switched the positions of the Wi-Fi and Cellular Network Bar icons. However, it looks like a number of people were not used to seeing it like that and we assume that it was causing some major OCD issues. Google has switched the icons back to their original places in this new update.
- UI Updates to Camera
The camera app has also received a few UI changes with this update. Google has now introduced a button that allows you to toggle between camera and video modes. Just in case you were not aware of how it works. Additionally, the shutter button has also been tweaked, as it now has a thinner white ring and a thicker inner grey circle. Moreover, the flip camera button now has a circle inside instead of a camera.
These changes that come with the Android O Developer Preview 3 are limited to UI tweaks, and this takes us one step closer to the final version of the OS! Stay tuned with us for more updates.
