7 features that Android is sorely lacking

Android is now the most popular mobile operating system, which powers 70% of smartphones. Nevertheless, it is full of flaws. Some manufacturers are eliminating them in their own skins, but Pixel and Android One users have to put up with the lack of many features. Here are seven of them that I would like to see in the upcoming Android 11 update.

1. New modes of power consumption

Most manufacturers of Android smartphones provide various modes of saving battery in their skins, but Google itself is still holding back the development of this topic. The company has added power saving and sleep modes to the OS, as well as a dark design to reduce power consumption on devices with OLED screens. But in some cases, this is still not enough.

The mediocre battery life of the latest Pixel smartphones indicates that Google should work in this direction. Fortunately, there is already information about an advanced power saving mode in Android 11 called Ultra Low Power Mode.

The mention of the new mode was noticed by XDA-Developers Chief Editor Mishaal Rahman in the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) source code. It is expected to appear alongside the Pixel 5 smartphone.

Ultra Low Power Mode will disable all interfaces and block access to applications, leaving only calls and messages. A similar feature appeared in Samsung and HTC smartphones back in 2014, so it took Google six years to implement it into the system.

2. Improving screenshots

In "bare" Android, there is still no way to take a long screenshot and limit the area for a screenshot. These features are already available in most third-party skins, but they are not available for Pixel users and Android One devices.

Company representatives are working to improve the screenshots function. It is already known that there will be long screenshots that will allow you to take screenshots of web pages and correspondence.

However, there is no information on the selection of the zone to be displayed in the screenshot yet. Pixel owners now have to crop screenshots in the photo editor, which takes more action and time.

3. Game mode

Smartphones have already become a full-fledged gaming platform, and manufacturers are diligently developing gaming features. So, last year, Samsung gadgets received a game mode that allows you to set up notifications during games and record the screen.

Given the high level of performance, Pixel smartphones are great for mobile gaming. So why doesn't Google add a dedicated mode where the user can tweak the frame rate, game resolution, and display notifications during gameplay?

A screen capture function would also come in handy, and not only in games, but throughout the system. Now for this you have to install separate applications or use a shell that already offers such opportunities.

4. More privacy

Google has done a good job on privacy in Android 10, bringing all the settings in one place and adding a smart permission mode that controls how apps use data. But the company still has work to do. For example, you can add Safe Mode to ensure that programs run in a sandbox, that is, an isolated section of memory. This will reduce the risk of malware infecting your smartphone.

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Also, a utility that protects personal data from being transferred to programs would not hurt. OPPO and Realme smartphones have a similar function: in them, you can prohibit the access of some applications to contacts and messages.

5. Desktop mode

The ability to adapt the interface to work with the monitor is already found in Samsung and Huawei smartphones. It is enough to connect an external screen via USB Type-C, and the system will look more familiar for desktop use.

Nothing prevents you from adding this feature to standard Android. Moreover, Google has experience in developing interfaces for laptops - we are, of course, talking about Chrome OS.

6. Optimized charging

The problem of battery life remains one of the most acute in modern smartphones. Because of this, millions of tons of e-waste appear every year: batteries degrade and need to be replaced, but given the poor maintainability of new smartphones, they often change the entire device with them.

Wireless and fast charging only exacerbate the situation, but manufacturers are trying to mitigate the effect. One of the ways is to predict when the user will take the smartphone off the charge. The battery is replenished in such a way that it reaches 100% at the right time and does not stay at the limit for a long time.

This approach has already been implemented by Apple, Asus and OnePlus, but not all Android manufacturers are following suit. Adding the feature to Android 11 will not only improve battery life, but also reduce e-waste.

7. Alternative to AirDrop

The ability to quickly transfer files over Wi-Fi is available in many Android smartphones, but there is no single standard now. Because of this, you will not be able to send a document from Samsung to Huawei or Xiaomi. Meanwhile, Apple users simply turn on AirDrop and transfer files not only from smartphone to smartphone, but also to iPad or MacBook.

Previously, Google had its own solution called Android Beam, but it did not provide high data transfer rates. As a result, they got rid of him, and still have not offered an alternative. It would be high time to correct this misunderstanding.