90 PCWorld APRIL 2019FEATURE ANDROID Q TWEAKS AND CHANGES
- YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DO
MORE WITH PORTRAITS
Portrait mode is pretty much standard on all 2019
Android phones, so Google is exploring ways to
enhance it. In Android Q, Google is tapping into
that data by letting apps request a Dynamic
Depth image, which is made up of “JPEG, XMP
metadata related to depth related elements, and
a depth and confidence map embedded in the
same file on devices that advertise support.” So
camera and photo apps will be able to do more
with portrait mode, including specialized blur
and bokeh options, the creation of 3D images,
and even AR applications. - APPS WILL LAUNCH EVEN
QUICKER
Every Android release brings changes to the
code that make the system feel snappier, and
Android Q is no exception. Google is beefing
up its ART runtime to help apps start faster and
consume less memory—and developers don’t
even have to change their apps to benefit.
Starting with Android Q, Google Play will begin
delivering anonymized cloud-based profiles
that let parts of an app pre-compile before it
even starts running, resulting in “a significant
jump-start to the overall optimization process.”BUT WHAT WILL IT BE
CALLED?
We’ll surely learn more about Android Q at
Google I/O in May, and more features will be
unveiled during the Pixel 4 launch that will
likely take place in October. But I just have
one question: What dessert starts with the
letter Q? Quindim? Quiche? Quik?We’ll just
have to wait and see.Google is giving developers access to depth-mapping data so portraits will be better than ever.