8 options from Android skins we wish on inventory Android 16

I’ve been praising this selection for some time now, and it lets in for extra PC-like quantity controls in your Android cellphone. As the title implies, per-app quantity changes help you, neatly, alter the amount of each and every app independently. That manner you’ll be able to pay attention to Spotify whilst surfing Instagram with out being blasted with obscenely loud Instagram Reels, for instance.

Samsung and Xiaomi had been the primary manufacturers to provide per-app quantity controls, with Samsung imposing this selection by the use of the Sound Assistant app. But the choice has since arrived on telephones from the likes of OPPO, OnePlus, realme, and vivo too.

Apple used to be the primary main smartphone logo to provide this stacked strategy to widgets, permitting you to (wonder) stack one widget on most sensible of the opposite. You can then swipe to modify throughout the widgets like a carousel. Fortunately, Android’s third-party Action Launcher grabbed this selection in 2021 ahead of Samsung swiped it (heh) in 2023 with One UI 5.0.

In any match, we’d love to look this in Android 16, because it successfully provides you with way more lively widgets on your own home display screen. Even for those who’re no longer a large widget person, this might mean you can transparent up some area on your own home display screen. Or it might mean you can cover an invaluable however unpleasant widget at the back of a extra pleasurable one.

One of the device options I love on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold collection is the facility to independently customise the smartphone display screen and folding demonstrate. Unfortunately, many rival foldables, just like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and OnePlus Open, lack this selection, so adjustments made to the outer display screen are mirrored at the internal folding demonstrate and vice versa.

While some would possibly want a constant enjoy, for the general public, the use instances range very much for each and every display screen. With per-screen customization, you must have video-centric apps and enormous widgets at the huge folding display screen, whilst the smaller quilt demonstrate keeps its phone-centric use with smaller widgets and shortcuts on your messaging apps.

One option to deal with this is able to be for Google to enforce per-screen customization in Android 16 itself. That manner, each foldable cellphone available on the market could be nearly assured to provide the function as a substitute of it closing a Samsung-only choice.

One of essentially the most outstanding options pioneered by way of third-party Android skins is the app cloning capability, often referred to as Parallel Apps or Dual Apps. This means that you can successfully create any other example of an app with its personal icon that runs independently of the unique. It’s in particular to hand for messaging platforms, social media products and services, and different apps that don’t toughen a couple of accounts.

The function used to be pioneered by way of HUAWEI and Xiaomi round 2016 and has been followed by way of many OEMs since then, together with Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus, and extra. Oddly sufficient, Google experimented with this selection within the Android 14 developer preview, however we nonetheless haven’t observed it but.

App folders had been a factor on Android telephones for over a decade now, however some Android producers additionally be offering huge app folders fairly similar to iOS’s App Library glance. These generally take in a three×3 segment of your display screen versus the one 1×1 app tile for standard folders. The dimension distinction isn’t only a beauty exchange, regardless that, as it manner you’ll be able to see extra apps in stated folder with out opening it first. Many manufacturers even help you release apps in huge folders with out opening the folder first, which is relatively to hand if you wish to workforce apps in combination however nonetheless retain fast get right of entry to to person ones.

There’s no scarcity of Android OEMs providing huge app folders, similar to Nothing, Xiaomi, OPPO, OnePlus, and vivo. Even Samsung is predicted to get in at the motion with One UI 7. But it’s sorely ignored on Pixel telephones and gadgets operating inventory Android.

LG used to be one of the most first main manufacturers to provide Routine-style capability with its Context Awareness function, permitting you to cause movements in your cellphone in accordance with explicit prerequisites. For instance, you must set your cellphone to open YouTube once your earphones had been attached. Or your cellphone may just robotically transfer to silent mode when you were given house.

This idea has since arrived on Samsung telephones within the type of Modes and Routines, and it expands the selection of movements your cellphone can take and the prerequisites it may possibly acknowledge. Pixel telephones do be offering Rules capability, however it is a barebones tackle the idea that that solely tweaks your ringing profile. Either manner, we’d love to look Android 16 or Android 17 achieve full-fledged regimen capability, because it’s a really helpful function that may make existence more uncomplicated.

We first noticed desktop mode capability in 2017 with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and HUAWEI Mate 10 collection, and different manufacturers like Motorola have additionally jumped at the bandwagon. This provides you with a PC-like interface when your cellphone is hooked up (stressed or wirelessly) to a TV or observe, which can also be to hand if you wish to have to paintings in a pinch or for those who simply need a extra handy big-screen enjoy.

The extraordinary factor is that Google has been operating by itself desktop mode in inventory Android since 2019, and it’s even a hidden developer choice in contemporary Android variations. But we’d love a full-fledged, simply obtainable desktop mode for inventory Android. The encouraging information is that it looks as if Google is certainly nonetheless operating on desktop mode/window capability in Android 16. Fingers crossed that we in fact see it quickly.

Remember when double-tapping to wake the display screen used to be the entire rage within the early to mid-2010s? This function isn’t as vital now within the age of in-display fingerprint sensors that remove darkness from when you wish to have them. Nevertheless, some Android manufacturers nonetheless be offering this gesture to show cellphone monitors on or off, and it’s lacking from inventory Android.

We’d love to look this gesture in Android 16 because it nonetheless has its makes use of. It can also be sooner than hitting the ability button in some eventualities (e.g. when your cellphone is flat at the desk). This is also to hand for accessibility functions. And it’s in a different way to show off your demonstrate for those who’re paranoid about dressed in out your energy button.

There are lots extra options from different Android skins we’d like to look on Android 16. These come with Good Lock capability, screen-off gestures, Open Canvas multitasking, app shortcuts by the use of the fingerprint scanner, and the facility to stay the display screen on while you’re taking a look at it. But what do you want to look? Let us know within the feedback underneath!