What are your impressions of Android L?

[I Can Be Your Hero]

I like it. It's very forward-thinking. I haven't flashed the developer preview to my devices, so I don't know how it looks/feels while actually using it, but just from the images/video it looks really nice.

My only concern is that while it looks very clean, very minimalist, I hope that it doesn't come at the price of functionality and speedy usage.

I don't want the experience to be slower just because I have to go through more menus to access stuff that's now hidden just so the screen can look cleaner.

 

[wess580]

Is it me or do the settings menu remind you of HTC one series settings menu

Posted via Android Central App

 

[zedorda]

Is it me or do the settings menu remind you of HTC one series settings menu

Posted via Android Central App

Settings menu actually had me thinking old LG UI.

 

[tr-1]

I think it's awesome. I actually thought that KitKat finally has a good and consistent design language but once I saw L, it's in a different league. I'll go as far as saying that it's better than iOS in terms of GUI aesthetics.
In addition to more consistent and beautiful design, it is also gonna be applied to all Android devices (naturally) from watch to TV as well as Google web services and ChromeBook. It's gonna be a great ecosystem

 

[bjrosen]

Android L impressions

I've been using Android L for a few days and I'm not very impressed. As far as I can tell there are no new features or significant improvements and there are some things that are a step backwards.

1) ART vs Dalvik. Things do feel snappy but I can't say I really notice any siginficant speedups, I never noticed any sluggishness on KitKat.
2) Battery. Seems to be worse. This is hard to measure but one thing that I've noticed is that the QI charger in my car mount doesn't quite keep up with Sygic. Under KitKat I could run Sygic and the battery level would still rise, under L the battery level slowly drops.
3) Quick Menu/Notifications. They've really messed this up. Under Kit Kay the notifications were on the left and the quick menu was on the right, now they are mixed together which makes for a big mess. Also I've found that the WiFI button on the Quick menu is nearly useless, it's only On/Off. On KitKat it got you to the WiFI control panel which allows you to select an access point.
4) Still no multitasking. The late Palm Pre had multitasking five years ago, you could swipe from one application to another. Android still limits you to a single application open on the display at once. To switch you still have to go to the history list which close the current app and opens another.
5) New button icons. A triangle, circle and a square? Who thought those were better than the old icons?. This is a minor gripe because it doesn't effect functionality, but still why did they do it?

I hope that Xposed gets ported soon so some of this can get fixed, specifically the quick menus. It's a shame that you still have to root the device just to change the menus. You also still have to install Nova Launcher to change the number of icons in the task bar. At least Nova Launcher works with L, but it really should be necessary. Simple customizations should be built in by now.

Does anyone have anything nice to say about L?

 

[mogelijk]

Re: Android L impressions

From what I saw (I removed L from my phone), the WiFi quick settings button is "backwards" to how it is in 4.4. In 4.4, you press and it takes you to the WiFi settings but if you long press it turns WiFi on/off. I believe in L that you merely press to turn it on/off, but a long press will take you to WiFi settings. I believe the reason for it is to make the quick settings consistent (they all toggle on/off).

 

[bjrosen]

Re: Android L impressions

Long press of WiFI on the quick settings down nothing.

 

[Aquila]

Re: Android L impressions

I miss having a battery % and a shortcut to the battery section of settings in the quick settings. Also, I put color inversion on that panel thinking I could put other things on and take other things off - turning it off doesn't take it out of there and hardly any settings have the ability to be sent to quick settings.

 

[EnigmaticPsychotic]

Re: Android L impressions

Flashed L yesterday. So far it's pretty solid. Way more stable than I was expecting. I'm digging the new appearance. Havne't encountered many bugs. Not having Netflix is a bit annoying, but tolerable. I think I can handle using it as my daily until the final release. Barring something tragic anyway. The Dalvik to ART switch isn't an issue since made the change not long after I got the phone a couple of days after launch. Extra battery life has been a nice surprise.

 

[xchange]

Re: Android L impressions

I've been using Android L for a few days and I'm not very impressed. As far as I can tell there are no new features or significant improvements and there are some things that are a step backwards.

1) ART vs Dalvik. Things do feel snappy but I can't say I really notice any siginficant speedups, I never noticed any sluggishness on KitKat.
2) Battery. Seems to be worse. This is hard to measure but one thing that I've noticed is that the QI charger in my car mount doesn't quite keep up with Sygic. Under KitKat I could run Sygic and the battery level would still rise, under L the battery level slowly drops.
3) Quick Menu/Notifications. They've really messed this up. Under Kit Kay the notifications were on the left and the quick menu was on the right, now they are mixed together which makes for a big mess. Also I've found that the WiFI button on the Quick menu is nearly useless, it's only On/Off. On KitKat it got you to the WiFI control panel which allows you to select an access point.
4) Still no multitasking. The late Palm Pre had multitasking five years ago, you could swipe from one application to another. Android still limits you to a single application open on the display at once. To switch you still have to go to the history list which close the current app and opens another.
5) New button icons. A triangle, circle and a square? Who thought those were better than the old icons?. This is a minor gripe because it doesn't effect functionality, but still why did they do it?

I hope that Xposed gets ported soon so some of this can get fixed, specifically the quick menus. It's a shame that you still have to root the device just to change the menus. You also still have to install Nova Launcher to change the number of icons in the task bar. At least Nova Launcher works with L, but it really should be necessary. Simple customizations should be built in by now.

Does anyone have anything nice to say about L?

#4?
I've never had an issue with an app having to start over from the beginning state when using the multitasking menu

 

[ahaxton]

Re: Android L impressions

3) Quick Menu/Notifications. They've really messed this up. Under Kit Kay the notifications were on the left and the quick menu was on the right, now they are mixed together which makes for a big mess. Also I've found that the WiFI button on the Quick menu is nearly useless, it's only On/Off. On KitKat it got you to the WiFI control panel which allows you to select an access point.

Um, you can. In the quick toggle there is a line between the WiFi strength indicator and the name of the access point or the word WiFi. If you tap above the line on the icon, you turn WiFi on or off. If you tab below the line on the name, it takes you to WiFi settings. Best of both worlds.

 

[e_roz]

So how with internet tethering there? I heard that it doesn't work properly

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Ronald Geiken]

I bought a refurbished Nexus 7 on e-bay, so in effect it is a test bed for me. I have other Android Tablets with other version for daily use. I really like what I have seen so far, and the one thing that impressed me most of all is that you can set an external Blue Tooth Keyboard as the default and if you are kind of using it in a desktop application, both the BT Keyboard and Mouse worked flawlessly. If Android is going to truly become a favorite of the computer users in the world, then a reliable way of pairing a Keyboard and Mouse were paramount. They have done that, and for that I will be eternally thankful. My Nexus 10 and Note 10.1 both have problems with the BT Keyboard. The Nexus 10 is on 4.4.4 while the Note 10.1 is on 4.1.2.
BT had been a constant problem in previous versions, so this will likely be a real plus to potential users. I use external keyboards on my W7 computers and they have always worked good. Most of the Google Apps seem to work OK, but so far Fox News will launch and I can read the news there, but the videos are not playable. Will try some other apps that use video to see how they go. I have only had Android L on my Nexus 7 for about 3 days now, and if you are not a real techie, it can be a problem to install it. Like they have said, it is not a good idea to install it on a tablet that you want to use every day, but since mine is not intended to be used that way, I will be able to enjoy seeing Android L develop.

 

[zedorda]

I bought a refurbished Nexus 7 on e-bay, so in effect it is a test bed for me. I have other Android Tablets with other version for daily use. I really like what I have seen so far, and the one thing that impressed me most of all is that you can set an external Blue Tooth Keyboard as the default and if you are kind of using it in a desktop application, both the BT Keyboard and Mouse worked flawlessly. If Android is going to truly become a favorite of the computer users in the world, then a reliable way of pairing a Keyboard and Mouse were paramount. They have done that, and for that I will be eternally thankful. My Nexus 10 and Note 10.1 both have problems with the BT Keyboard. The Nexus 10 is on 4.4.4 while the Note 10.1 is on 4.1.2.
BT had been a constant problem in previous versions, so this will likely be a real plus to potential users. I use external keyboards on my W7 computers and they have always worked good. Most of the Google Apps seem to work OK, but so far Fox News will launch and I can read the news there, but the videos are not playable. Will try some other apps that use video to see how they go. I have only had Android L on my Nexus 7 for about 3 days now, and if you are not a real techie, it can be a problem to install it. Like they have said, it is not a good idea to install it on a tablet that you want to use every day, but since mine is not intended to be used that way, I will be able to enjoy seeing Android L develop.

Just wait till the BT devices go into sleep mode then you will start hating BT keyboards and mice with Android.

 

[zedorda]

Re: Android L impressions

#4?
I've never had an issue with an app having to start over from the beginning state when using the multitasking menu

Then you have not used many apps because alot of them do not support it. Try it with Clash of Clans.

 

[twdawson]

Certainly is time for me to look at other platforms, just one of the things that has bugged me for years is the inconsistent icon size for all the different apps which I think now just looks plain ugly.
Was hoping they would of sorted that when they done the new design.

Plus why can't we have an option to back up our phone to Google drive built in to the os itself.

Think this will be my last android phone unless they add more stuff to L.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[mogelijk]

Certainly is time for me to look at other platforms, just one of the things that has bugged me for years is the inconsistent icon size for all the different apps which I think now just looks plain ugly.
Was hoping they would of sorted that when they done the new design.

Plus why can't we have an option to back up our phone to Google drive built in to the os itself.

Think this will be my last android phone unless they add more stuff to L.

Posted via Android Central App

I wouldn't make any decisions based on how L looks today, since this is not the final version. In particular, it sounds as if Google is trying to get the app makers to be more consistent -- and you really won't see apps updated for L until it is officially released. If there is something within L that is inconstant, then submit an issue report. Though, since you say L doesn't have enough "stuff", then you likely have seen most of what L will ultimately offer. Just curious, other than the backup, what exactly are you wanting?

They ability to backup the phone to Google Drive would be a great option for Google to add, it would be nice to see that in the future -- though it doesn't seem like that would require a new Android version.

I can understand someone preferring another Mobile OS. For me, I've tried iOS, Windows Phone (both 8 and 8.1), and personally prefer Android.

 

[scipizoa]

To me L looks very promising, though i dislike how google is trying to play catch up with apple[the notifications on lock screen etc] don't get me wrong i think its a cool feature but, I'd rather have that as optional then anything else, I also can't wait to see what google has planned with nvidia, maybe the nexus 7 2013 can be pushed to its true gaming potential, though from a 1 year old device i'm not expecting miracles as i would from a device especially made for it.

 

[maxburn]

I like how they have refined the OS and seemingly made things noticeably faster, pretty big improvement in simple Web browsing in Chrome under L.

So much better than adding a bunch of new features and bloat so far, I like the slimmer OS.

 

[tr-1]

Certainly is time for me to look at other platforms, just one of the things that has bugged me for years is the inconsistent icon size for all the different apps which I think now just looks plain ugly.
Was hoping they would of sorted that when they done the new design.

Plus why can't we have an option to back up our phone to Google drive built in to the os itself.

Think this will be my last android phone unless they add more stuff to L.

Posted via Android Central App

Icons? Really? LOL. A 3rd party launcher setting fixes it by adding a frame to all icons like iOS. Android icons are the same size, they just don't have a frame (similar to Windows)
Not sure what you mean by backup. If you get a Nexus phone (or GPe I assume), most of your settings are backed up. All your apps are backed up for sure.