Based on materials from androidcentral.com
We are getting used to the changes that Android Nougat brought us, but that does not mean that we will not have enough wishes for the future Android O. Very soon, attempts to guess his full name will follow.
Android is not at all what it once was, and the big platform updates don't really look so 'big'. A good example of this – the transition from Marshmallow to Nougat – a lot of code has changed, but among what the user can see, everything remains almost the same, except for a few features like multi-window mode. We might want some insight and some overwhelming change, but big changes in the look and feel of the system tend to ruin many things that work well. Therefore, rather slow and gradual changes are the norm. And this is good.
For example, Doze mode was enhanced in Android 7. When it works, it works great. It remains only to find out why it does not always work, and understand what should be corrected in Android and third-party applications, so that everyone will benefit. Changes such as not opening the camera app when not needed are great for overall performance. And if you extend this idea to other system applications, you could win even more. We hope that these are the things that Google is working on, preparing Android O. But there is something that we expect from Google no less, and a lot is related to their mobile services. Let's take a look at the list of possible wishes.
Google Assistant: friendlier and smarter
Now that we know that other companies can get Assistant, it is clear that by the time Android O is released, it will be in most flagships or it will be available on Google Play. Google knows that Assistant shouldn't be limited to their own phones, unless they want to collect a really large amount of information.
This means that you need to reassure the user that he is really good.
We love the Google Assistant and we know it works well. But at the moment there is something that cannot be implemented without interaction with third-party applications. I would like the Assistant to have a number of features in addition to the existing ones. SmartThings is great, but there are other companies out there. And it would be nice if everything happened more naturally and friendly. Instead of saying, I'm sorry, this or that is not supported, you can answer 'I'm thinking about' and give the user the opportunity to formulate a command that will work. In general, a friendly Assistant should talk to us, not say 'No' and turn off when he cannot understand the question.
Now the Assistant is definitely operational, can be used, and things are doing better than expected. But you can also force us to say a loud 'Wow!'. Just give us that robot butler that everyone has dreamed of for so long!
Big world without borders
Google wants everyone, no matter what country they live in, to use all of the company's services. However, local laws complicate the situation.
However, this cannot be an excuse. Android O will also have some cool new features from Google – and it would be nice if they got to everyone, and not only remain available to US residents. Somehow, after all, other companies succeed – so that their services work in various places. We expect the same from Google.
Safety first
Monthly security updates – both existing and potential – are great. Being able to see a list of everything that has been updated and see links to the changes themselves is great too. But it's even better if Google makes them mandatory so that they get to everyone, regardless of the wishes of the smartphone manufacturer.
We know that Google cares about security Android and they have many mechanisms to prevent damage from unknown sources, as well as to fix it if it does happen. The company should continue to focus on how your phone boots and how changes to critical system files are checked.
So, for example, something should complicate the process of obtaining administrator rights. We need a normal administrator account. Android requires something like Sudo to make it safer. Because for now we are forced to abandon encryption if we want to unlock the bootloader for full access to the file system, which does not have a very good effect on security.
Improved tools for managing desktops
Samsung, LG and others have their own computer programs to simplify processes such as transferring files and creating data backups. And do you know why they had to create them? Because nothing like this has been suggested by Google.
Yes, Android is a cloud storage oriented OS. But that doesn't matter, because a lot of people want to manage their data locally. You can still develop a system in which everything is connected and tied to the phone itself. But it's worth investing the time and money to write a desktop version for those who need it. This is not the best approach – selling very expensive high-end phones and making sure that the users who buy them do not have access to a computer. Not the best, given that competitors don't think so.
Android Studio has a cool interface and it communicates with your phone the way an app like this should do. Therefore, it is worth borrowing what works and creating an optional program – conditional gTunes.
Topics
Let's say we like the vibrant colors we've seen in several past versions Android. And a bunch of other people like them. But there are enough users who do not share this point of view. Both can be made happy by adding a theme generator. Developers and Google Play will very quickly fill this niche with their masterpieces. Crazy fonts and stuff like that.
Pay attention to the status bar!
Let's say I have a clock on my lock screen. Plus, a couple of cute clock widgets can be found on Google Play (not to mention the fact that almost every phone comes pre-installed). Let's add here the watch you want to make us buy and its main function. Now a question. Why can't I remove the clock from the status timeline?
The same goes for all the icons that are there. They offer useful information, but there are many ways to get this information in other ways. The System UI tuner is good for those who can find and use it. But why not make it more language-friendly and pull it out of the bins so that people know where to look for it?
Certified Accessory Program
No, not like Apple, but for the same purpose – give companies an incentive to do things that work with Android.
Let the program be free. Have documents and guidelines to help those wishing to join. Partners need to be encouraged and inspired to make great products. And then those cool products have to be listed in the Google Store. This will make it easier for people to find out what is specially created for Android, and the work of the companies that do this will be rewarded. Everyone is happy, everyone is happy.
Curated sections of Google Play
Let everyone download whatever they want, but why not let people search for specific apps. Expand the idea of app sections for Android Wear or apps for kids in the direction of apps that fit most popular models. For example, everyone knows where in the Galaxy App Store to look for apps that work great with the S Pen. Users should be able to do the same on Google Play, right from the Play Store app. What gamer would not download everything from the section 'Games that use the Google backup service to save game progress and in-game purchases'.
Since you are wearing the crown of the search giant, you should be aware that the current keyword-based system is not performing well. So fix it!
Adapt Android for more advanced hardware
Every buyer should be able to buy a quality budget phone with access to Google Play. Anyone who spends on a phone in the region of a thousand dollars, and this phone has the most advanced hardware on the market, deserves the software that will allow these benefits to be used. It's hard to imagine an OS that successfully combines both, and not everything works well on every device.
Small changes are needed that will allow phones with large amounts of RAM and powerful graphics adapters to fully utilize their power without the need for backward compatibility, especially since this approach is easier than trying to create a system for any hardware. Leave the core API the same, keep the basic features the same, but allow developers to differentiate how they work.
I wish the phone on Android One was simple and functional. I wish the applications would work well on it. But no less want those who want to use iron to the limit, have the opportunity to use it to its fullest. Fragmentation is evil, so go further in the direction that NVIDIA has set, do better so that applications, games and GUIs can use the full performance of the platform, which will be in the next generation of top Android smartphones.
Don't Forget AOSP
This item applies equally to the first part of the list and to the previous one. Anything done in the enhancement area Android must be in the AOSP (open source version Android). It's good when you have your own services, but you shouldn't neglect Android in their favor. Anyone who has created Android 7 without using Google services knows that while it is a fully functional mobile OS, there is nothing in it that makes Android so easy to use.
Give the world the option of Gmail or Google Movies and TV or all the other services that make Android such a great open source system. And if you provide normal access and granular rules, people can take code and do good things.
And if it's news, you can download Carbon or Falcon Pro and compare with Twitter for Android.
Android has reached the point where he doesn't need major changes. It is enough to improve what is already there and add some well-thought-out services and functions, and the Google ecosystem itself will be able to improve and overcome stagnation.
Probably, everyone has their own wishes for the future Android: some of them are reasonable, some are not very smart, and some are unrealizable. But fantasizing about the directions in which evolution will go is always interesting, which we propose to do in the comments.