Android 2021: A year in review

I could state the exact same holds true for Android. Its another year (and release) older, however has it become any wiser than it already was? I wish to jump right in and state, “Yes!” however Im not 100% specific I can. After all, the platform still faces a few of the same old issues it has for a while. SEE: BYOD Approval Form ( TechRepublic Premium) But its not all bad. In fact, 2021 brought about a few of the brightest spots in the history of the OS. Accompanying that brightness, it didnt truly suffer any significant sidelines (major being the keyword). Although it stumbled a few times, Android appeared to have a net positive year in the end. Lets dive in and take a look at a few of the highlights and a few of the lowlights for the year the time forgot. Android 12

Image: sdx15/Shutterstock
The year is almost over … and, wow, did it fly by. It seems just the other day I was discussing the 2020 year in evaluation and here I am, another year older and another year … older.

We have to begin this out with the 12th iteration of the Android os. One of the most important modifications to the platform will get its own subhead (more on that in a bit), there was so much enhancement going on with the OS: This release wound up (for lots of, including myself) to be the best take on Android to have ever been launched. The new functions added to Android 12 included scrolling screenshots, AppSearch, One-Handed mode, rich material insertion, summary tips, more gesture controls, haptic feedback with audio, unused apps, Game Mode, HEVC media transcoding, AVIF image support, multi-channel audio, optimizations for non-standard display screens, universal splash screens, Privacy Dashboard, mic and electronic camera signs, mic and cam kill switches, approximate area permission and Android Compute Core. Another very crucial enhancement in Android 12 was that the designers and designers lastly put in some effort to fix the skin tone issues for the video camera. With this most current release, non-white faces will see more precise representations of darker skin color and natural hair. This was an essential (and needed) advance for Google. All of these new additions come together to produce a faster, more safe and reputable experience. Overall, every one of these additions was overshadowed by one particular change. Product You Without a doubt, Material You was the headline in the Android 12 program. This new Android UI has been long overdue and, wow, did it ever impress. Product You was not just a reskinning of the old user interface but made is such that your UI would be entirely unique to your phone. How? Material You worked with vibrant highlights for UI aspects, using colors from your present home screen wallpaper. Say, for example, you had an image of a Mars landscape on your house screen. Your emphasize colors may be rust, red and brown. SEE: The iPhone, iPad and Mac users guide to Microsoft 365 (complimentary PDF) (TechRepublic) But its not almost the colors. Product You is a complete redesign of the user interface. Widgets are much better looking, the notification screen is far much easier to connect with, navigation is better, animations are smoother (and more intriguing), everything on the display screen is more legible and (total) it simply looks more modern. Pixel 6 The release of the Google Pixel 6 was much-anticipated. Although the Pixel 5 was a strong entry in the line, it constantly felt underpowered and could not legitimately be considered a flagship phone. Given the Pixel line was constantly suggested to function as a way to display what all Android could do, the 5th model failed at that job. Google knew this and had to bring the Pixel back to prominence. And, for the a lot of part, it did. The Pixel 6 is a fantastic gadget (with a couple of problems). Its effective, stunning and the cam is amazing. It wasnt (and hasnt been) all unicorns and lollipops for the Pixel device. The release was a disaster. The lead-up to the big day was basically without marketing. And when the wedding day came, the capability to really buy a gadget was ruined by non-functioning shopping carts, website errors and absolutely no responsibility. This was an inappropriate failure on Googles part and triggered a great deal of people to miss out on out on acquiring the current Pixel phone. For those who did manage to complete the purchase (I got fortunate), everything began out great. Then little issues started to appear. The biggest for me was a repeat problem from the Pixel 4. I d be in the middle of a phone call and, out of the blue, the person on the other end of the call couldnt hear me. Or, even worse, I d put a call and the individual who answered couldnt hear me. No matter what I attempted, I could not deal with the concern. I started to think it was a hardware concern, so I returned the phone. No luck. Another return … no luck. It wasnt till Google issued a software application update that the problem was repaired. That issue is back. Far its occurred with roughly 10% of my phone calls. The only fix at the minute is to reboot the gadget. Since my past experience tells me that is a dead end, Im not going to return this phone. It does make it really clear that Google needs to remember that smart devices do still include the word “phone,” so they need to focus a bit more Q&A on that end of the formula. Malware Malware. I shouldnt have to say another word. I will. Thing is, every operating hardware, system and app maker comprehends they live in a continuous state of 2 steps behind those creating destructive software application and developing brand-new attacks. This is never ever going to change. As long as a gadget is online, its susceptible. And Android is not unsusceptible to that. Do a quick search for Android malware and youll find lots of short articles describing the dangers. Theres one thing at the center of the problem … applications. When setting up applications, Ive made it a top priority to (at least two times a year) remind Android users of the dangers they deal with. Once upon a time, I would just caution users against installing from third-party sources. Now, nevertheless, I offer that alerting without the third-party bit. If you install an application on your Android phone, theres always a risk. With 2021 we saw malware such as Joker, GriftHorse, FakeDolphin, GinMaster, ExoBot, Android Police Virus, FakeInst, BlackRock, OpFake, BaseBridge, KungFu and Ghost Push. The list of apps which contained malware was even longer, including All Good PDF Scanner, Buzz, Blue Scanner, Paper Doc Scanner, Care Message, WiFi Password Cracker, Desire Translate, SecureIt, Axgle, Direct Messenger, Tangram App Lock, Wallpaper Girls, Hummingbird PDF Converter – Photo to PDF, AppleProtect, Meticulous Scanner, Idea Security, Unique Keyboard, Talent Photo Editor – Blur Focus, Mint Leaf Message-Your Private Message, Shortcut Name, One Sentence Translator – Multifunction Translator, Part Message, Private SMS, Style Photo Collage, System Update, Auxiliary Message, Element Scanner, Free CamScanner, Go Messages, Super Message, Super SMS and Travel Wallpapers. Foldable Phones I could have sworn, at the end of 2020, that collapsible phones would have vanished from the market. They didnt. Samsung proved the foldable phone might work with the Z Fold3. Not just was it a really properly designed gadget but it was likewise durable, waterproof, provided dual 120Hz display screens and displayed the true power of multitasking on an Android gadget. The huge downfall was that the lofty price tag ($ 1,799 upon release) would keep it out of the hands of average users. However, 2021 showed that collapsible phones are not just a possibility, but a truth that will not be going away whenever quickly. Maybe 2022 will be the year the foldable ends up being more typical than the majority of us ever pictured. And there you have it, Android in evaluation for 2021. It wasnt the best of times, however it definitely wasnt the worst of times. And given how crazy the world is these days, Im calling that a win. Sign up for TechRepublics How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the current tech suggestions for business pros from Jack Wallen.


We made it through another year, and Android existed by our side for much better or even worse. Jack Wallen discusses a couple of highs and a couple of lows of the year that brought us Android 12 and Material You.

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One of the most essential changes to the platform will get its own subhead (more on that in a bit), there was so much enhancement going on with the OS: This release wound up (for numerous, including myself) to be the best take on Android to have actually ever been launched. The brand-new features added to Android 12 included scrolling screenshots, AppSearch, One-Handed mode, rich material insertion, introduction recommendations, more gesture controls, haptic feedback with audio, unused apps, Game Mode, HEVC media transcoding, AVIF image support, multi-channel audio, optimizations for non-standard screens, universal splash screens, Privacy Dashboard, mic and cam indications, mic and camera kill switches, approximate location permission and Android Compute Core. Product You Without a doubt, Material You was the heading in the Android 12 program. Provided the Pixel line was always meant to serve as a way to reveal off what all Android might do, the 5th version failed at that task. Ive made it a priority to (at least twice a year) remind Android users of the dangers they face when installing applications.

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