Google releases Android 10 with battery-saving dark mode

The desserts are no more.

Google officially released Android 10, the first version of the software with a non-dessert name. The update, formerly known as Android Q, is rolling out to Pixel phones Tuesday and will be available to other Android handsets later this year.

Besides the new naming scheme, Android 10 comes with a ton of features, including a new dark mode, privacy controls, and Live Captions. 

Despite the long list of improvements, the new “dark theme” is likely to be be one of the more popular features of the update. The battery-saving setting, which you can enable in Android’s quick settings, will change the background of system-wide menus to black, as well as certain Google apps like Photos and Calendar. Google also allows third-party developers to support the feature, so you should see more of your apps going dark over time. 

Google notes that the dark color scheme can have a significant impact on battery life for phones with OLED displays, and dark mode will automatically be flipped on when you enable battery-saving mode. 

Android 10 also comes with Live Captions built in, a new feature that automatically generates captions in real-time for any audio playing on your phone, including phone calls, videos, and podcasts. The feature, which Google debuted earlier this year at I/O, works even when your phone is offline. And though my early demo of the feature had a couple issues, it could be a pretty big deal for accessibility. 

Other changes include new iPhone-like navigational gestures Google says are optimized for edge-to-edge displays, faster security updates, and more control over location tracking and ad tracking settings. 

On the digital wellbeing side, Google is also introducing new notifications controls, which lets you silence specific alerts, and a new “focus mode,” which lets you temporarily “pause” apps that could be a distraction. Focus mode is still in beta for now but Google is allowing people to sign up to beta test the feature. 

As in previous years, Android 10 will first be available to Pixel phone owners, with others slated to get the update later “this year.” Depending on what type of phone you have, that could mean you’ll have to wait weeks or months before you’ll have the chance to update. Though Google has made progress getting phone makers to push updates more quickly, Android still has a notoriously slow adoption rate when it comes to new releases.