Flipboard for Android update brings Jelly Bean Daydream mode

Flipboard for Android users have yet another reason to love the neat little app. A new update on the Play Store for Flipboard brings along with it several bug fixes in addition to a whole new feature called Flipboard Daydream.

Starting with this update, users of Android 4.2 can turn Flipboard covers into a screensaver for their tablet or phone. Until now, Flipboard’s signature covers were available only on the tablet edition. Users can now stay up to date with customised news through covers that become part of a screensaver that automatically updates with fresh stories.

Android users are in luck with this update

If you are lucky enough to have a handset that runs Jelly Bean, you know how impressive the Daydream feature can get. The latest addition to Android 4.2, Daydream is essentially an interactive screensaver that gets activated while the phone is charging or is docked. Users can customise it to throw up the latest news from Google Currents and display photo albums amongst other things. Now, Jelly Bean users can get Flipboard news covers appear in the Daydream mode to stay in touch with news even when their phone is idle.

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Users can now see covers from their Cover Stories category from their Flipboard account turn into a screensaver with zooming and panning functions. Compared to default competitor Google Currents, this new update will make Flipboard do a lot more than just display headlines in the Daydream mode. Flipboard has taken what is easily the least talked about Jelly Bean function, and turned it into its app USP.  Users might want to tweak settings a bit as the app will use Cover Stories in Daydream.

Setting up Flipboard for the Daydream mode is also pretty simple. Head to Settings>Display>Daydream. Check out the preview with the ‘Start Now’ button. You can change when new stories are downloaded so you save on carrier charges.

Along with this new feature, Flipboard is also bringing along several bug fixes as well as a fix for accidental flip that occurred while scrolling in the previous version.

Easy to set up and pleasing to look at

Flipboard launched its tablet edition last year after several requests from users worldwide. The news and social app was optimised for Android tablets to help users keep up with local news, world updates and blogs they follow. People using Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy Tab series, Nexus 10 or other tablet that runs Android benefited from this update.

“With the new devices that Samsung, Amazon and others have brought to market in the recent months, we see the adoption of Android tablets growing quickly,” said Eric Alexander, Head of International Development at Flipboard. “As more people buy Android tablets for themselves or others over the holidays, we wanted to make sure Flipboard is part of their tablet experience and deliver on a top request from our readers.”

Developers claimed that they had optimised the tablet edition of Flipboard in order for it to look perfect on a variety of screen sizes and aspect ratios. Taking advantage of the wider tablet screen, Flipboard had made sure users benefit by being able to save more of their favourite sections as tiles and see larger story excerpts while flipping through the magazine. Flipboard had claimed that they had been working closely with Samsung over the last year to make this possible, also making the app ideally optimised for Samsung tablets.

The app is available for free download at the Google Play Store.