curious_07
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6 useful Android Nougat features that you probably don’t know exist.
Despite a notably low market share, Android Nougat has not disappointed, bringing lots of sweet and useful features. New functionality with this Android version ranged from the Doze mode for increased battery saving to easier updating procedures and split screen apps. If you already have Nougat, you probably have learned to utilize all its key features. But here are a few useful but little-known Nougat features that most people still aren’t taking advantage of.
1. Drag & drop
This is a useful feature that works with Android Nougat’s multi-window capability to make file handling much easier. If you want to email a specific file via the Gmail app on your Android phone, you can simply drag and drop it from another open window. Google requires app developers to update their applications for this feature to work. But it’s already available for a number of the most popular applications so you can take advantage of it right away. Indeed, drag and drop is something you don’t want to leave out from your Nougat experience.
2. Direct reply
Nougat has a ‘Direct Reply’ feature that allows you to respond from notifications and save a lot of your time while messaging and replying to email. You probably are already making use of this feature. Immediately you see a brand new message notification, all you need to do is tap on the ‘Reply’ button and start typing a response. With Marshmallow, some apps already had this feature. But the main thing is that Android Nougat provides some unified interface for all apps.
3. Play audio in Mono
If you prefer to use just one earbud while listening to music, so that maybe you can still pay attention to what’s happening around you, Nougat’s Mono mode can come in handy. Simply navigate to Settings>Accessibility and enable the ‘Mono Audio’ option. All stereo audio will be mixed to mono, which means you’ll be able to hear both channels in just one earbud.
4. Save more data
Although Google has put a ‘Data saver’ mode in several versions of Android now, Nougat just makes this mode much more intelligent. Once the feature is turned on from Settings, your device will be able to autodetect the active cellular plan, and whether you’re roaming. If you’re on limited data, this feature restricts data that background apps can consume.
5. Seamless Updates
Nobody wants to wait almost 30 minutes just to update their device to the latest version of the Android mobile OS. Seamless updates is a useful Nougat feature that works on just devices that came with Nougat preinstalled. It allows you to install updates in a matter of seconds.
6. See where an app came from
You can see where each of your apps were sourced from in Nougat. Simply go to ‘App Info’ screen via Settings, and you’ll see a ‘Store’ section that shows from which marketplace the application was sourced. This can come in handy if your device is facing security challenges and you just want to remove any app that you sideloaded from little-known third-party marketplaces.
7. Block calls
Since last year, Google’s Phone app has a number blocking feature. But Nougat takes this to a next level by allowing you to block a specific number from ever communicating with you across all apps. Yes, that includes third-party text messaging applications. Of course, a system-wide capability to block a certain number is a very welcome addition.
Despite a notably low market share, Android Nougat has not disappointed, bringing lots of sweet and useful features. New functionality with this Android version ranged from the Doze mode for increased battery saving to easier updating procedures and split screen apps. If you already have Nougat, you probably have learned to utilize all its key features. But here are a few useful but little-known Nougat features that most people still aren’t taking advantage of.
1. Drag & drop
This is a useful feature that works with Android Nougat’s multi-window capability to make file handling much easier. If you want to email a specific file via the Gmail app on your Android phone, you can simply drag and drop it from another open window. Google requires app developers to update their applications for this feature to work. But it’s already available for a number of the most popular applications so you can take advantage of it right away. Indeed, drag and drop is something you don’t want to leave out from your Nougat experience.
2. Direct reply
Nougat has a ‘Direct Reply’ feature that allows you to respond from notifications and save a lot of your time while messaging and replying to email. You probably are already making use of this feature. Immediately you see a brand new message notification, all you need to do is tap on the ‘Reply’ button and start typing a response. With Marshmallow, some apps already had this feature. But the main thing is that Android Nougat provides some unified interface for all apps.
3. Play audio in Mono
If you prefer to use just one earbud while listening to music, so that maybe you can still pay attention to what’s happening around you, Nougat’s Mono mode can come in handy. Simply navigate to Settings>Accessibility and enable the ‘Mono Audio’ option. All stereo audio will be mixed to mono, which means you’ll be able to hear both channels in just one earbud.
4. Save more data
Although Google has put a ‘Data saver’ mode in several versions of Android now, Nougat just makes this mode much more intelligent. Once the feature is turned on from Settings, your device will be able to autodetect the active cellular plan, and whether you’re roaming. If you’re on limited data, this feature restricts data that background apps can consume.
5. Seamless Updates
Nobody wants to wait almost 30 minutes just to update their device to the latest version of the Android mobile OS. Seamless updates is a useful Nougat feature that works on just devices that came with Nougat preinstalled. It allows you to install updates in a matter of seconds.
6. See where an app came from
You can see where each of your apps were sourced from in Nougat. Simply go to ‘App Info’ screen via Settings, and you’ll see a ‘Store’ section that shows from which marketplace the application was sourced. This can come in handy if your device is facing security challenges and you just want to remove any app that you sideloaded from little-known third-party marketplaces.
7. Block calls
Since last year, Google’s Phone app has a number blocking feature. But Nougat takes this to a next level by allowing you to block a specific number from ever communicating with you across all apps. Yes, that includes third-party text messaging applications. Of course, a system-wide capability to block a certain number is a very welcome addition.
