Google is reported to be working on Always On Display for its Pixel and Pixel XL. The latest feature might be introduced with the latest Android O update.
The folks at XDA Developers have discovered a new code in the latest Android O Developer Preview 3 running on Google Pixel, which points towards a code known as “doze_always_on.” The report further highlights that the word “doze” is not meant for the battery-saving doze mode, which was introduced with Android Marshmallow, instead, it refers to Ambient Display. For the unintended, the Ambient Display was introduced to Pixel and Nexus lineups a few years back, which allows users to view new notifications without unlocking the device. One need to tilt or lift the phone to see the notifications.
However, with the current build of Android O Developer Preview 3, the feature is not accessible yet. XDA tried to manually change the code to use the feature, but they failed to activate it. But, it seems that Google might spill some beans about this feature in near future.
Always On displays are now becoming a trend these days. Interesting, Nokia was the first to introduce such kind of feature with Glance screen. Samsung introduced the Always On mode with its flagship devices and LG also implemented the same on the latest LG G6.
To recall some key features of the latest Android O, it can be broadly classified into two categories namely ‘fluid experiences’ and ‘Android vitals’. The fluid experience caters to all the interesting features, which include the much-awaited picture-in-picture mode through which one can manage two tasks simultaneously. So, for example, one can minimise a YouTube video while sending a text message or writing an email.
Under interesting feature is the Notification dots, which are basically tiny chat heads for notifications. The user can long-tap on a Notification Dot and it will preview the notification, and one can swipe to dismiss, drag down to see the full notification or tap to open the app. The dots will extract the colour from the icon, making it easier to distinguish between different notifications.
Other than this, there is smart text selection, which uses machine learning to copy/paste, to let Android recognise entities like addresses, URLs, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Then there is Autofill with Google that simplifies setting up a new device and synchronising passwords by bringing Chrome’s Autofill feature to Android.