Announced in August this year, the Motorola One and One Power are Motorola's latest Android One handsets. Both devices offer the same hardware that we've gotten used to in mid-rangers (for example, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6xx SoC and the works). Although Lenovo's Oreo/Pie rollout has been less than ideal, the Motorola One and One Power are promised updates to Android Pie and Q, along with three years of security patches. Both smartphones launched with Oreo 8.1 out of the box and today, Lenovo is following through on the first major update, with the announcement that Android Pie software is rolling out globally for both Motorola One handsets. Here is the complete changelog as listed on Motorola's website

Usability

New navigation gestures: one-button nav lets users conveniently navigate with just one

button. This updated version is just as easy to use, but with helpful new gestures such as

swiping up to access the recent app carousel.Adaptive battery: go longer with a single charge. It prioritises battery power on the apps

you use the most and applies restrictions on the ones you use the least. Battery saver can

now be activated from 70% or below.Adaptive brightness: fewer manual adjustments to perform better. Machine learning takes

notes of your habits and automatically adjusts to your activities.Quick settings improvements: no shortcuts anymore (toggles are no longer expandable,

but press and hold a toggle goes to the setting detail). The icons have been redesigned with

a rounded concept and circular background.Rotation key: Android Pie presents a temporary rotation even with the auto-rotate

disabled. A rotation button is displayed whenever it detects that your phone has changed

orientation.Dual SIM settings: by pressing the SIM Card toggle in the Quick settings, a full screen

activity is shown to select preferred SIM and manage data usage.Redesigned Settings app: colourful icons for each selection with a circular background. It

also warns if the phone is muted or in Do not disturb mode. Order, name and placement of

the settings options have not changed.Better screenshots: another handy Android 9.0 feature is the addition of the virtual

screenshot button/shortcut to the power menu (the old power and volume down method (still works). You can also edit your screenshots immediately after taking them and a delete

option is also available.Improved audio controls: the volume slider is now vertical and close to the volume

buttons. Users can switch between ring, mute and vibrate-only mode. Plus, media controls

are now the default volume adjusted, and Do not disturb cannot be turned on/off via the

volume keys anymore. Bluetooth device volumes are also accessed whenever connected. As

usual, 'Volume Up + Power' changes the ring mode to vibrate.Zoom in text: you can finally manage the annoying mistakes of selecting incorrect text.

Now, when you press and hold a phrase or text, it will automatically magnify at the pointer.

It also helps you read small text and select words precisely.New and updated emoji: 157 new emojis, as well as a gender-neutral concept.Settings icon while on PIP mode: tapping the new settings icon brings you to the app's PiP

settings, where you can enable or disable the feature.Other UI changes: time is now on the left side and the search bar is now rounded. There is

a new task manager/recents list that now shows a horizontal list instead of a vertical one and

includes the split screen capabilities by pressing the app icon above the thumbnail. Dragging

the split screen border will select the app you want in full screen

Notifications

Notification UI changes: notifications now have rounded corners. It also supports inline

images/stickers and distinguishes single/group conversations.Dismissing notifications: Android Pie will now suggest a couple of actions to you for the

type of notifications you usually dismiss. It will offer to turn off frequently dismissed

notifications by asking you if you would like to stop seeing these notifications or keep

showing them.Notification bar: maximum of 4 visible notifications in the status bar before the list is

truncated with a dot to indicate more unseen icons.Manage notifications: a shortcut at the bottom of the cards in the notification shade that

allows you to see a user-facing list of recent notification activity. If it's something annoying,

you can flip the toggle right there to disable unwanted notifications in the future.

Performance

Performance improvements: applications will launch faster and use less memory, gaining

performance and efficiency improvements.Power efficiency: refinements to Doze, App Standby and Background Limits to improve

battery life.Background App privacy: the system restricts access to the phone's microphone, camera

and other sensors (other than GPS). A persistent notification is shown if an app needs access

while in the background.Bluetooth enhancements: simultaneous connection of up to 5 Bluetooth audio devices.

However, there is no option for simultaneous playback: users need to choose the device to

be used. Android 9.0 also remembers the last volume level for paired devices.Wi-Fi optimisation: Wi-Fi hotspot goes OFF in case of no connection. It disables

automatically, preventing others nearby from connecting to your network.Stability improvements: includes changes that fix bugs and improve the stability of your

phone.

Security

Security enhancements: an alert tone will be heard when a call is being recorded to all

parties. The pattern unlock also hides the swipe trail, instead of simply leaving the trail

visible until the phone has fully unlocked. Better for security.Data encryption: Android Pie will now perform client-side data encryption and/or

decryption on the user's phone: authentication is required (password, PIN, pattern), plus

Google backs up all information to the cloud and hacker attacks become much more

difficult.DNS over TLS support: it creates a secure connection to the DNS server before DNS

queries and responses happen. For example, someone monitoring the connection will have

a harder time seeing what you're doing.HTTPs by default: all applications built for Android Pie onwards will send and receive data

via HTTPS by default, ensuring your data is better protected as you communicate with the

app's servers, especially public Wi-Fi.

It is likely that several users of the Motorola One and One Power may already have the update given that is started rolling out in markets mid-November. In addition to all the standard Pie features such as app actions, slices and digital wellbeing, users will get Dual VoLTE, a panorama camera features, and the November security patch with the update. Those interested in update timing per carrier and in different markets can check Motorola's upgrade page here.

News Source: Android Police