Top 10 Android 10 Features, Ranked

Coming first to Google’s Pixel phones, the company’s mobile operation in its tenth iteration has dropped its sweet naming convention.

Designed to better support latest-generation foldable and 5G devices, Android 10 also focuses on privacy, security and user experience improvements.

1. (Better) Gesture Navigation

With shrinking bezels, more prominent displays demand a more fluid and modern method of interaction – and to eliminate the need for constant navigation buttons at the bottom of handsets.

It’s basically exactly the same as on iOS with the newer iPhone X, Xs, and XR phones. Simply drag up to pull up the home screen, swipe from the left edge of the device to go backwards, and swipe horizontally on the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen to move between apps.

2. Live Caption

We’ve all been in the awkward situation where we’re unable to understand videos and voice messages without either annoying the whole case or fishing out our tangled earphones. 

That’s history with Live Caption, which will automatically caption videos, podcasts and audio messages with a single tap- a feature also perfect for those with hearing limitations.

Speaking of hearing limitations, Android 10 will also come with Sound Amplifier baked in. Perfect for those with hearing limitations, Sound Amplifier allows users to either boost or cut out environmental sounds with just their mobile phones and a pair of earphones.

3. Dark Theme

After the resounding reception of Dark Mode on iOS 13 (which will very soon come out of public beta), it is little wonder that Google will also offer such a highly demanded feature.

Dark Theme on Android 10 brings a more unified dark experience across native Google apps like Photos and Calendar. With a darker interface, viewing comfort in dark situations will be improved, along with battery life, especially on OLED displays.

4. Smart Reply

Available across all popular messaging apps, Smart Reply intelligently recognises addresses, links and other content and suggests actions accessible at your fingertips without the hassle of copying and pasting links.

5. Security Updates

Without the same OS update adoption rates iOS has, Google seems to have prioritised pushing security and privacy fixes to users who need them the most. To do so, Google has packed these more minor updates and will be sending them through the Google Play Store, just like any other app update.

6. Family Link

In line with Google’s push toward a more holistic approach, Family Link works alongside Digital Wellbeing as a tool for parents to set screen time limits, bedtime and app time limits for their children.

They can also review the apps that their children install on their phones, along with their usage statistics, and even monitor their location for greater peace of mind.

7. Focus Mode

Also part of the Digital Wellbeing interface, users can silence specific apps they find distracting by simply activating Focus mode.

8. Location Settings

In a greater effort to safeguard against malicious apps, Android 10 will now allow users to only share location with apps they choose. In addition, the system will now issue notifications when unused apps are still accessing location data so that users can make informed decisions about the information they share.

9. Web Privacy

In an easy-to-access console in the settings menu, users can now control their Web & App Activity and Ad Settings without any hassle.

10. Improved Notifications

Users will now be able to exercise greater control over the notifications they receive, and will have the option to receive them silently or to exclude them from appearing on the lock screen.