Google recently unveiled its latest version of Android, Android 9 Pie. It offers AI-powered productivity features, new security enhancements, and features aimed at promoting digital wellbeing.
One of the biggest updates is that all work apps now have their own tab in the All Apps menu, which should make them easier to find and separate from personal apps. It also offers the ability to switch between work and personal apps and profiles seamlessly. But you can also turn off work apps during certain hours.
There are tons of new updates with this latest release. Here are some of the most prominent that could impact business or enterprise users.
App Actions
App Actions is a new AI-powered feature that offers suggested actions based on each user’s context. For example, if an employee is working on a fully managed device, it could offer a suggestion to share a Drive folder with other team members. Suggestions can appear in the Android Launcher, Smart Text Selection, the Search App, Google Assistant, and within the Google Play store.
Dedicated devices
If your organization uses Android devices that are dedicated to a single purpose, like informational kiosks or point-of-sale terminals, Android 9 Pie offers full flexibility for admins to show or hide various elements of the user interface, including status bar and navigation buttons. You have the option to set a fully custom home screen and then populate it with your apps of choice for that particular device, giving you more control over the experience.
Security and privacy in Android 9 Pie
Android 9 Pie’s security functionality leverages tamper-resistant hardware. This is similar to some of the security elements that are built into credit cards. It also protects data using Transport Layer Security by default, supports secure transactions via Protected Confirmation APIs, and allows admins to set different PINs and timeout rules for personal and work profiles.
Android 9 is now available on Google Pixel phones and will be available on a larger range of Android devices later this fall.
