The best of Android in 2021 (and 7 things we're still looking forward to)

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Ivan Linares@ivsu

The year is ending and it's time to take stock of everything that happened in Android during 2021. Changes in the system, price drops in phones, small innovations that achieve better use of phones and much more: we review all the good things that happened to it to Android and also how bad it had to suffer.

Our operating system is a mature system, no one can say that it has shortcomings, that it does not look attractive on the screen, Google has managed to get its offspring to adapt its software to mobile phones, watches, televisions, cars and even washing machines. With more than thirteen years behind our favorite android, we might think that he has little more to live. And the opposite happens: 2021 left a great little collection of memories. Let's review them.

The best that Android has brought during 2021

It is not that this year has been especially convulsive in our operating system, quite the opposite: in general terms, we could say that it was continuous. New generations of phones without too many changes, there were no disruptive technologies and no big surprises in software. Still, 2021 didn't misbehave either.

android 12

It is mandatory to make a general mention of the new operating system: Android 12 gets the prominence on its own merits. It is a version that places greater emphasis on privacy, artificial intelligence and personalization. And as in previous versions, Android 12 will not be available on most phones until next year, 2022.

Material You and Material Theming

The automatic customization of the interface is already a reality with Android 12: both the icons and the shortcuts and applications change color depending on the chosen wallpaper. And without the user having to do anything: once all the apps and mobiles adapt, the Android interface will look much more uniform and cohesive.

Native game mode

Horizontal game panel with all the shortcuts activated in the bubble

Google included in Android 12 the game mode, a way to enhance entertainment apps by allowing the user to choose what performance they run on the phone; in addition to giving the option to avoid distractions or stream the game. Most brands already offered it in their layers, with Android 12 the game mode comes to all phones.

call filter

Button to filter calls on the Google Pixel 6

Google has finally activated the call filter in Spain, a way of responding with the assistant to anyone who tries to call us. In this way, we avoid talking to telemarketers and unknown people, also with any other with whom we do not feel like establishing a conversation. It is one of the best novelties of Google Assistant during this 2021.

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Tizen and Wear OS together

Sense and sections of One UI Watch, Samsung's layer on Wear OS 3.0

2021 was the year in which a milestone was established in the field of operating systems for watches: Samsung and Google unified their respective platforms in what is known as Wear OS 3.0. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 were the first watches to acquire their novelties.

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Tizen promises to add more fluidity to Wear OS, lower battery consumption and better stability. At the moment there are no excessive improvements, but it has not been expanded to more watches than the latest from Samsung either. Be that as it may, that two companies like Google and Samsung turn to Wear OS is excellent news for Android.

Android apps on Windows 11

This move by Microsoft will further expand the reach of Android applications: it is possible to start them directly in Windows 11. To do this, Windows uses an emulator-like execution system. And there are ways to boot any app on the system, including the Google Play Store itself.

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Having the mobile WhatsApp application floating on the desktop, uploading photos to Instagram from its app, smartphone games on the computer... And all with the execution system directly integrated into Windows 11.

The best mid-range in history

2021 brought us so many mobiles that brands had to make an effort to stand out. And what was the main way to stand out from the competition? Include the maximum features at the lowest price. The result was tremendously positive for our pockets.

In Xataka AndroidThe best mid-range mobiles of 2021

Phones like the POCO X3 Pro, POCO F3, Realme GT Master Edition, Realme 8 Pro or Xioami 11 Lite 5G NE show that buying a great phone has never been so cheap. And 2022 points to this trend going up.

More years of updates

System updates are endemic to Android; and everything indicates that it will continue to be so for quite some time. Still, 2021 expanded the three-year warranty on key updates and four years on security updates to a good number of brands.

Google offers this figure, also Samsung, Vivo, OnePlus and OPPO. Of course, not in all phones: the higher-end models are the ones that receive the most attention.

The "inexpensive" folding screens

They began as an anecdote, they went on to higher-end devices and this year they managed to reduce their access gap to a price that is not exorbitant. The merit goes to Samsung with its Galaxy Z Flip 3.

It is not that the folding phone is too cheap, but it is undeniable that it has been put within reach for a part of the public that is looking for a high-end mobile. And it is that for just over 900 euros it is available in stores; with numerous offers in operators and banks (also second-hand).

SAMSUNG Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G 8GB/256GB Black (Phantom Black) Dual SIM F711B

Today on Amazon for €801.00 RRP at FNAC €859 RRP at MediaMarkt €1059 RRP at PC Components €969

Distribution figures come to life

We thought that Google had definitively killed them after a long time without updating them, but no: the company once again publicly communicated how widespread each version of Android is. As usual, the most used is the one that is one and two years behind the current one, Android 12.

Virtual RAM

It is not that adapting storage space to work as volatile memory is exactly new, but it has reached Android phones in 2021 as one of the improvements to highlight. Expanding the RAM memory virtually can be counterproductive in mobiles with a certain power, quite the opposite of what happens in cheap phones. It is an improvement with which to extend the use of multitasking.

Seven things we are still waiting for

The time has come to do self-criticism with what we want in Android and it has not yet reached this operating system. Most of the wishes are old demands that, we fear, we will end up accumulating by 2022.

Guaranteed updates for all mobiles

It is true that the update process improved during 2021 by dint of adding more years of base versions and security patches, but Android is still far from being equal to what Apple does with its iPhone, for example. In addition, manufacturers prioritize their most expensive mobiles; leaving the cheaper ones in the lurch, often without even a major Android update.

More security and quality in Google Play

The review of apps in the store continues without maintaining the security and quality that the Play Store should have. There is a lot of news related to malware, all despite the fact that Google has been improving automatic protection against malicious software thanks to Play Protect. Between the restrictions of the App Store, and the wide sleeve of Google Play, there should be a middle ground that would give sufficient guarantees to Android users.

Gift apps from the Play Store

Google still does not offer the option to give away applications in its Android app store. And that's a shame: being able to gift another user the app they were hoping for would be a great way to expand app purchases.

Nearby Share compatible with Windows/macOS

Sharing with Nearby has become the "Android AirDrop" in its own right. It's a bit hard to figure out how to activate it and how to send files to another Android, but the truth is that it works very well. Among Android devices, of course, because it is not compatible with desktop operating systems despite its rumored inclusion in Google Chrome.

Clipboard shared with the computer

Ok, sharing any file may be difficult to implement, but why not use a clipboard that is synchronized between Android and the computer? Chrome tried something similar, there are also apps that achieve this service with great success (such as Clipt). At the system level, Google has yet to introduce shared clipboard on Android.

full desktop mode

Samsung DeX Wireless on Windows 10

Android 10 already included a native desktop mode, albeit disabled. Google still does not make it stable with Android 12, so we are still waiting for it: turning the mobile into a desktop interface by connecting an external screen allows it to be used outside the office. Samsung DeX is a great example of this.

Full restore with app data

Restoring from a backup during the setup of a new phone has improved a lot, but it still doesn't offer the experience it should as Android installs most apps without restoring data. For someone accustomed to changing mobile phones frequently, this is very annoying: once all the apps have been downloaded, you have to log in one by one; with the risk of having lost data because they were not saved correctly in the copy.

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