Android 7.0 Nougat is rolling out now and starting as usual, with Nexus devices eventually moving on to other phones. By now, many of the most recent premium phones have received an update to Nougat. However, updates are still rolling out for many other devices. It all depends on your manufacturer and carrier.

The new OS is loaded with new features and refinements, improving the overall Android experience. Some changes, such as bundled notifications, are apparent. Then there are the less visible changes, such as a new multitasking shortcut. Follow along as we look at what’s new in Google’s latest mobile OS.

Quick app switching

You’ve done it a million times. You’re using one app, like Twitter, when you want to pop over to another. Like your texting app or Spotify, to do something real quick. Then it’s back to Twitter. Hopping to another app and back again is standard and more straightforward in Nougat. If you double-tap the recent button, it will skip showing you the current apps. And instantly pop over to the last app you had open. Double-tap it again, and you pop back. Once you get used to it, it’s a real time saver.

Emoji Genders and Skin Tones

A later version of Nougat, 7.1.1, adds new Emoji standards to select skin tones and genders. So professions with only male or female representation can now choose the gender. You can change skin tones on a wide variety of emojis. So now you can have female welders and men getting haircuts, for example.

Quickly Adjust Notification Settings

With re-purposing Daydream as the namesake for its VR platform, it needed a new name for the previous Daydream feature. That new name is Screen Saver, which makes so much more sense than Daydream did in its earlier incarnation. Android screen savers still work in the same fashion as they always have.

You can now double-tap the recent apps button to quickly switch between your two most recently used apps. For example, say you’re in Gmail but need to look something up in Chrome to include in an email. You can open Chrome, find a copy of a link, then double-tap the recent apps button. Your device will switch back to Gmail.

Samsung users have long had access to using apps in a split-screen mode. Nougat is officially adding support for multi-window to support all Android devices running Android 7.0. To activate, simply long-press on the recent apps button. The app you currently use will go to the top of the screen on the phone. Or to the left on a tablet. With a list of recent apps shown along the bottom. Select the second app you want to use from the list. Drag the divider to resize the app windows or maximize either active app.

It took Apple an entire year to introduce split-screen tab viewing in Safari for iPad users. Still, it did it at the same time it introduced multi-window to Android. When using Chrome in multi-window mode. Tap on the Menu button and select the super handy option of Move to another window. It’s entirely acceptable to point and laugh at iOS users if you feel the need.

When using two apps simultaneously, you can drag and drop text between the two windows. Highlight the text, then long-press until the reader begins to float. Drag it to a text field in another window and let go. The same goes for sharing images between two apps, assuming they’re up to date with the latest of Android’s wares. Magical, right?

It only took way too many years, but the day has finally come. You can now set a wallpaper specific to your home screen and a different one for your lock screen. The process of accomplishing the once-impossible feat hasn’t changed much. After selecting an image to set as wallpaper, you get a new prompt to choose where the image will live.

Android added a Clear All button to the recent apps list, only it’s a bit hidden. Instead of placing it at the bottom of your screen when viewing your recent apps. You need to scroll to the top of the list, where you’ll find the handy Clear all text. Tap on it, and all apps are closed out. When you’ve closed all your recent apps, a new icon is displayed, letting you know there are no recent items.

                 Where did that App come from?

Speaking of installing applications outside the Play Store, you’ll find a fancy new installer animation when side-loading an App. It’s a subtle change that won’t dramatically impact your day-to-day use, but it’s not bad-looking. Who doesn’t like seeing the Android bot whenever possible?

You can now set the importance level of an app’s notifications to fit your specific use. Allowing an app to ignore your DND settings. You can view the current importance level with a long press on a report. Tap on More Settings, where you can turn off the automatic default setting and adjust its interruption level. As you move the slider, a brief explanation will detail each alert type.

                    Data Saver

Android Nougat includes the latest, most excellent Emoji approved by the powers, including bacon! Beyond the latest, most excellent Emoji baked right into Android. You’ll also notice has reworked most of the Emoji included on its mobile devices. Smiley faces now have a more human look feel to them.