Android 4.4 is finally here and there are some major upgrades making the devices much better. Android 4.4 has also a great new design and some features to make your phone look and feel faster. Here are the major changes in Android 4.4 compared to Android 4.3.
Speed: The new Android is faster and you can also multitask faster. The memory is optimized and the touchscreen technology is better. So you can do more stuff at the same time.
Battery: Android 4.4 consumes less battery as it is more customized.
Design: There is a new transparent background when you go to the notification area and the menu. You also seee the new icons that are more round and beautiful. Grid size in the apps menu is back to a 4×5 (20 apps per page) compared to 5×5 (25 apps) in 4.3.
Home screen: You can add as much home screens as you want. There is no limitation in 5 panels as there was in Android 4.3.
Lock Screen: Google has added a camera icon to the lower right corner to make it more obvious to everyday users that you can access the camera this way. Also the phone will project full screen album and movie art when the device is lock. So lock screen is not boring any more. I hope the phone doesn’t do crazy stuff in our pocket.
Apps are missing: removal of Gallery, Local, Messaging, Movie Studio, and Navigation (Currents gone as well, but can be downloaded through Google Play). Google has a new strategy on apps. Hangouts is also inside the Messaging app.
Ok Google: You don’t need to touch the device. All you need to do to control your phone is to say Ok Google and then you can launch voice search, or send a text and get directions to a location. Android 4.4 is listening to you.
Full Screen: Android 4.4 let apps go full screen. So you have the screen playing a song or play a movie or a game. This is called immersive mode and the phone hides everything except the app. If you want the controls back, swipe the edge of the screen to bring them back.
Contacts: The phone will change the order to your contacts so as to show the people you talk to more. You can also search for nearby places and businesses.
Smart caller ID: If you get a call from an unknown number, the phone will look for the number owner in a local listing on Google Maps.
Messages: All the messages are in the same folder. So if you have SMS, MMS or Hangouts, you can find them in the new Messages app. GIF files are supported in the new Hangouts app.
Emoticons: Emoticons are here, in Gmail and you can use them as much as you want. Google keyboard has some of the most useful emoticons you will love using.
Cloud printer: You can print photos, documents and whatever else, right from your phone with Google Cloud Print. Really useful.
More: There are many more smaller changes that make the 4.4 version better than the 4.3 one. For example, 4.4 supports Bluetooth MAP, Chromecast, it has an built-in device manager, you can have more than one home screens to switch, HDR+ photography etc.