Android 10 just started hitting the very first batch of devices – Google’s own Pixel smartphone and outliers like Essential’s PH-1 smartphone.
While we all agree (albeit half-heartedly) that it will be a while before the upgrade becomes available for most people with current devices, we can’t wait to take the various features it ships with for a spin. Sure, most of them are enhancements to features and functions we already use and may be familiar with but there are a number of them that are brand new.
Even better, there are others that Google didn’t bother making a big fuss of (maybe because they don’t directly fall under the three thematic areas it is focusing Android 10 on?) but which are being unearthed one by one by hawk-eyed users who have already had hands-on time with the latest version of Android as well as developers going through the code base of the new OS.
One of those happens to be a fix to something that may not be an issue to many but which is an issue nonetheless: contaminated USB ports.
Yeah, that sounds funny, right?
It’s a thing, though. We all don’t take care of our devices in the same way. Be it as it may, even if extreme care is observed, there are still unavoidable circumstances where for one reason or the other stray elements like dust particles or spilt liquids and whatnot find their way to the precious charging port and make a mess.
The end result is usually some scenarios like those described in this article.
Cognisant of such instances and other scenarios like when the charging port overheats while charging, for instance, Google has built into Android 10 some safeguards.
In instances where the USB port has been contaminated in whichever way, the system will automatically disable the port and then notify the user. The status quo will then be maintained until such a time that the port has been cleaned at which point the system will again notify the user if it is safe to use the USB port again. Pretty neat, isn’t it?
We have all been there: you plug your smartphone in for some juicing up before you leave the house only for the phone to heat up so much that you can’t even pocket it after unplugging. As can be expected, one of the areas that usually overheat is the USB port where the connection with the power source is initiated. Now, in Android 10, once the USB port (Type-C, for that matter) reaches a pre-defined temperature threshold, the user will be prompted to unplug the charger as well as take other safety precautions.
While these features have been sighted in the Android 10 codebase and can be expected to show up in some form or the other, the implementation will vary by device maker thanks to the freedom they enjoy when it comes to customizing Android to their tastes.
