20 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 67
ANDROID 10
New sharing functions
The share sheet has been something of a sore spot
for previous Android releases, but in version 10,
Google has finally done something about it. Getting
to the share sheet is the same, of course – tap the
share button or icon inside an app – but the feel and
functionality has completely changed.
For one, it’s a whole lot faster. Where the previous
menu took a second or two to load the full list of app
actions and shortcuts, in Android 10 it’s practically
instantaneous.
It’s much quicker to find a sharing destination, too.
The old version used app and cache data to predict
which app or action you might want in a lengthy,
disorderly list. In Android 10, sharing is broken down
into logical panes: your frequent message recipients,
followed by four suggested apps based on use,
and finally an alphabetical list of all possible app
destinations. That makes it much quicker to track
down the app you want when you aren’t texting.Focus mode
Google introduced Digital Wellbeing in Android 9 as
a way to keep track of your phone use, and it was
certainly an eye-opener. In Android 10, Google wants
to help us do something about it.
In addition to Wind Down and app timers, Digital
Wellbeing in Android 10 will also have a new feature
called Focus Mode. As its name suggests, Focus Mode
forces you to keep your attention on work by disabling
distracting apps of your choice, such as Candy Crush
or Twitter. Unlike app timers, it’s an on or off thing,