A limited number of Google Nexus phones and tablets began receiving updates to Android 4.2.2 on Tuesday. Google hasn’t officially announced the update so there are no details of the software changes. Thanks to some early adopters and sleuthing at Android Police, the first bits of information on Android 4.2.2 are available.
The enthusiast site notes that there are new notifications for application downloads that show the estimated time remaining; previously, Android would show the percentage of the download effort. The Quick Settings, introduced with Android 4.2, will gain more functionality in Android 4.2.2. Instead of just being shortcuts to certain settings, a long press will act as a toggle. That should help to quickly enable or disable the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios. Certain notification sounds are also updated and some users have reported that Bluetooth connectivity has been improved.
We’ll see if Google announced any additional features or functions that made the cut, once the official word on the software update appears. Since this is just a minor “point” release to Android 4.2.1, I don’t expect much more to be seen on my Galaxy Nexus once the update arrives. The new features should also be available for other Nexus devices including the Nexus 4 phone and both the Nexus 7 and 10 tablets.
I’d expect a bigger Android upgrade later this year, either at Google’s I/O developer event in May or, more likely, in the second half of the year alongside a new Nexus flagship phone.
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