The new Android Marshmallow operating system offers many new features that will change the way you interact with your Samsung Galaxy phone. Some features stand out as the most useful and innovative, including changes to how Google Now works and Android Pay capabilities. Other aspects of the operating system focus on streamlining usability. Get the details on what you want to know about the Marshmallow update.
Google Now on Tap: The New Digital Assistant
Any Android user who has tried to deal with Siri knows about Google Now’s superiority. When Google Now first came out with KitKat, the notifications and reminders were great new features.
In Marshmallow, Google Now on Tap will read text on your screen and give you contextual information. With Google Now on Tap, you can perform searches to find the information you need, reducing the amount of switching between screens. By the way, Now on Tap can read the text in images, too.
Improved Access to Your Apps
In Lollipop, app tiles displayed on multiple pages, which you swiped through to reach your apps. Instead of a horizontal swipe, Marshmallow offers a single vertical page with all your apps. Scrolling is much quicker than swiping through multiple pages. A scroll bar helps you find apps more easily, and the app drawer suggests commonly used apps to you based on the time of day.
A search bar at the top makes quick work of finding a specific app. When you drag apps from the drawer to your home screen, the option to uninstall them appears — the most convenient app removal system Android has offered to date.
Credit Card Information Storage With Android Pay
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One of the arenas where Apple had Android beat was Apple Pay. The convenient credit card integration system made paying for purchases with the iPhone simple, which, for many people, meant leaving their cards at home. Now, Marshmallow offers Android Pay. Android Pay is basically the Android version of Apple pay; you tap your phone against payment devices instead of swiping a credit card.
Right now, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citibank support Android Pay, while Chase Bank is in the process of integrating Android Pay. The ability to use these smartphone pay features to withdraw cash from ATMs may be coming soon.
A New Way to Give Apps Permissions
Previous versions of Android asked you to configure an app’s setting when you downloaded it. Some users found this extra step to install an app a cumbersome and time-consuming process. With Marshmallow, you download the app and start using it. If the app needs to ask for permission — similar to Instagram asking for access to your camera — a dialog box appears so you can decide whether to give the app access. Marshmallow remembers your choice.
If you want to change your settings later, Marshmallow will give you a list of all the apps using your camera, making turning permissions on and off easy.
Better Storage Solutions
Image via Flickr by kaeru.my
Android phones have offered great expandable storage options. Insert a microSD card into your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, for example, for up to 256 GB of extra storage, and swap one microSD card for another as you fill the cards. More information about the storage capabilities of Androids has always been available to anyone who wants creative storage solutions.
Marshmallow makes Android storage options better. The microSD cards have been separate storage spaces that weren’t fully integrated into your phone’s operating system. Now, Marshmallow integrates the SD card to give you an expanded phone memory. Plus, Marshmallow offers a simple graphic to show you how you’re using your storage. The Lollipop version was a bit complex to view, but figuring out where you’re using the most storage in Marshmallow is easy.
If your device is compatible with a Marshmallow update, don’t hesitate to download the new operating system. The interface changes are designed to make using your Android device easier, and the perks, such as Android Pay and Google Now, will add convenience to your daily routine.
