Google's next big Android update to support iPhone X-style 'notches'

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion
The next major iteration of Android, due later this year, will reportedly support devices with "notches" like the one on Apple's iPhone X -- as well as other unusual display designs.




Nicknamed "Android P," the software will for instance have native support for multiple displays and foldable screens, Bloomberg sources said on Monday.

In fact the OS is expected to get a visual overhaul to attract more iPhone users. While Android Oreo already has some panache, such as round app icons, the look of Android has remained relatively static since Google first implemented its "Material Design" philosophy.

More functional upgrades should include better battery life, and even deeper integration of Google Assistant. The latter could include putting the AI inside apps and/or the search bar.

Android phones with "notches" at the top of their displays actually predate the iPhone X, an example being the Essential Phone. Typically, though, vendors have had to create their own forks of Android to accommodate them, and some lesser-known brands may be ignoring interface issues entirely.

Internally Google is said to be calling Android P "Pistachio Ice Cream," though it will probably switch to a different name for release.

The notch on the iPhone X interrupts a 5.8-inch, edge-to-edge OLED display, mainly for the sake of the 3D-sensing TrueDepth camera used for features like Face ID and animoji. The resulting look has been controversial, in part because it can disrupt UI elements and cut into fullscreen video.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 50
    rotateleftbyterotateleftbyte Posts: 1,612member
    ROFL!!!!
    Oh well, if you can't beat them... etc etc

    StrangeDaysanton zuykovMacPromagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 50
    king editor the grateking editor the grate Posts: 601member
    They can round as many things as possible until they're rounder than the roundest thing ever and then some. No sale.
    cory949airnerdracerhomie3magman1979watto_cobralolliver
  • Reply 3 of 50
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,041member
    That is okay most Android users which not see any of these improvements for years, I think only 0.6% of the latest Android and that has been around for a while.
    king editor the gratecory949magman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 50
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,471member
    ROFLMAO! Not for what Google may be up to but at the notch haters here. This rumor is just so exquisitely delightful.
    king editor the gratecory949racerhomie3StrangeDaysmagman1979watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 5 of 50
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,647member
    „Pistachio Ice Cream„, uhum. Sounds exactly like a profound sense of design and attention to detail is being put into this - like all versions before. I can’t wait how it will attract me away from iOS...

    In the meantime some cues for the relentlessly trybig ones:     https://medium.com/tall-west/no-cutting-corners-on-the-iphone-x-97a9413b94e


    racerhomie3magman1979[Deleted User]watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 50
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,364member
    This asserts that the technology for putting sensors behind a display is not going to be available in the near future.
    edited February 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 50
    muthuk_vanalingammuthuk_vanalingam Posts: 1,265member
    rotateleftbyte said:
    ROFL!!!!
    Oh well, if you can't beat them... etc etc

    What's wrong in it? Much like Apple joined Android OEMs (particularly Samsung) in large screen phones, OLED display and high screen to body ratio display etc. Also like Android phones getting other features in iPhones like FDE, App level permissions, notification dots etc. Both platform benefit from each other and customers get a better phone at the end of the day.
  • Reply 8 of 50
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,647member
    muthuk_vanalingam said:
    rotateleftbyte said:
    ROFL!!!!
    Oh well, if you can't beat them... etc etc

    What's wrong in it? Much like Apple joined Android OEMs (particularly Samsung) in large screen phones, OLED display and high screen to body ratio display etc. Also like Android phones getting other features in iPhones like FDE, App level permissions, notification dots etc. Both platform benefit from each other and customers get a better phone at the end of the day.
    Because just throwing together a bunch of features usually doesn’t end up with a better user experience. And based on history so far I simply don’t see this changing any time soon on android side of things. I’m not saying that iOS is the flawless epitome of design here. But I do notice some step change from one platform to the other. But maybe that’s the reason why I never would consider an Android up till now while at the same time android users really might feel this as improvement. In the end, a Lada brings you from A to B as well. And if you don’t care about other things your use case might work out as opposed to, say, a BMW. However , if I’d ask some random 100 people if they’d prefer one car or the other I have a feeling what the answer might be. Regarding phones and many other things I feel that people are much to much trained to don’t care about design and functionality but for specs and price. Like they accepted the usability nightmares of VCRs or re it’s with 80+ buttons. YMMV
    Rayz2016magman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 50
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,034member
    ROFL!!!!
    Oh well, if you can't beat them... etc etc

    What's wrong in it? Much like Apple joined Android OEMs (particularly Samsung) in large screen phones, OLED display and high screen to body ratio display etc. Also like Android phones getting other features in iPhones like FDE, App level permissions, notification dots etc. Both platform benefit from each other and customers get a better phone at the end of the day.
    You mention technology and yet this is talking about aesthetics (look and feel). You might as well claim the iPhone will copy devicesthat  come out with 5G radios since Apple won't be first to market with this inevitable tech.
    edited February 2018 watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 10 of 50
    muthuk_vanalingammuthuk_vanalingam Posts: 1,265member
    lkrupp said:
    ROFLMAO! Not for what Google may be up to but at the notch haters here. This rumor is just so exquisitely delightful.
    While I am fine with Android OEMs & Google copying/implementing the good features (software/hardware) from iPhones to Android phones, it is all the more frustrating to see the not-so-good moves (of which there are plenty) from Apple being copied by Android OEMs blindly with no thought being put into them. This seems to be one of those moves which need not be copied but they copy it nevertheless because it has just become a habit to follow Apple, no matter what.
  • Reply 11 of 50
    muthuk_vanalingammuthuk_vanalingam Posts: 1,265member
    Soli said:
    ROFL!!!!
    Oh well, if you can't beat them... etc etc

    What's wrong in it? Much like Apple joined Android OEMs (particularly Samsung) in large screen phones, OLED display and high screen to body ratio display etc. Also like Android phones getting other features in iPhones like FDE, App level permissions, notification dots etc. Both platform benefit from each other and customers get a better phone at the end of the day.
    You mention technology and yet this is talking about aesthetics (look and feel). You might as well claim the iPhone will copy whether devices come out with 5G radio since Apple won't be first to market with the inevitable tech.
    Agree with you on copying look and feel as not the right thing to do. Technology like FPS, Face recognition etc - Not an issue. It works both ways. Notch??? I don't think so that it is a good idea to copy this. Even the iOS look and feel copied by many OEMs (particularly the Chinese OEMs - Oppo/Vivo/Xiaomi/Meizu/Gionee etc) to the point of making the customers feel like they own an iPhone instead of Android phone - That is a very bad idea indeed. Not sure why Apple is NOT suing them and take them to task.
    edited February 2018
  • Reply 12 of 50
    tzeshantzeshan Posts: 2,351member
    This is why Apple has at least two years advantage of FaceID technology. The Android copycats must wait for their shameless leader Google engineers first to copy iPhone OS. 
    lkruppmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 50
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,924member
    Analysts: the notch is horrible. The X will fail and is a result of lack of innovation on Apple's part. 
    Google: we will supports X like notches 
    Analysts: Google is being innovative in supporting screen notches on Android. 
    lkruppStrangeDaysmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 50
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    This asserts that the technology for putting sensors behind a display is not going to be available in the near future.
    Well, certainly not the camera array. 
    edited February 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 50
    muthuk_vanalingammuthuk_vanalingam Posts: 1,265member
    tzeshan said:
    This is why Apple has at least two years advantage of FaceID technology. The Android copycats must wait for their shameless leader Google engineers first to copy iPhone OS. 
    This is NOT at all true. There are many features which are available in custom OEM versions, which get implemented into stock Android by Google after few years (split screen multitasking comes on top of my head). So Android copycats usually don't wait for Google to copy the features from iOS or implement new features/ideas. They do it themselves on their own. I am not sure what prompted Google to prioritize this so quickly though.
  • Reply 16 of 50
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,471member
    muthuk_vanalingam said:
    lkrupp said:
    ROFLMAO! Not for what Google may be up to but at the notch haters here. This rumor is just so exquisitely delightful.
    While I am fine with Android OEMs & Google copying/implementing the good features (software/hardware) from iPhones to Android phones, it is all the more frustrating to see the not-so-good moves (of which there are plenty) from Apple being copied by Android OEMs blindly with no thought being put into them. This seems to be one of those moves which need not be copied but they copy it nevertheless because it has just become a habit to follow Apple, no matter what.
    Well, my reason for glee is that the iPhone X has been castigated constantly for the “notch” by the negativity crowd that infests Apple forum sites like AI. Everything Apple is put forth as no good, bad, deficient. These people heaped scorn and hatred on the iPhone X for its OLED screen and the “notch”. Samsung even made a condescending video showing an iPhone X user with a notch in his hairline. Now it seems the competition is contemplating the very same notch for the very same reasons Apple explained in its reasoning for the notch. It’s just too rich an hypocrisy to not take pleasure in it.
    wonkothesaneStrangeDayssuddenly newtonmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 50
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    “Android Pee”
    magman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 50
    muthuk_vanalingammuthuk_vanalingam Posts: 1,265member
    lkrupp said:
    muthuk_vanalingam said:
    lkrupp said:
    ROFLMAO! Not for what Google may be up to but at the notch haters here. This rumor is just so exquisitely delightful.
    While I am fine with Android OEMs & Google copying/implementing the good features (software/hardware) from iPhones to Android phones, it is all the more frustrating to see the not-so-good moves (of which there are plenty) from Apple being copied by Android OEMs blindly with no thought being put into them. This seems to be one of those moves which need not be copied but they copy it nevertheless because it has just become a habit to follow Apple, no matter what.
    Well, my reason for glee is that the iPhone X has been castigated constantly for the “notch” by the negativity crowd that infests Apple forum sites like AI. Everything Apple is put forth as no good, bad, deficient. These people heaped scorn and hatred on the iPhone X for its OLED screen and the “notch”. Samsung even made a condescending video showing an iPhone X user with a notch in his hairline. Now it seems the competition is contemplating the very same notch for the very same reasons Apple explained in its reasoning for the notch. It’s just too rich an hypocrisy to not take pleasure in it.

    Agreed, completely on your point!!!
  • Reply 19 of 50
    chasmchasm Posts: 2,651member
    But but but the notch is hideous!! Major Apple design flaw!!

    (Notch comes to Android phones)

    Ah, it just fades away when you’re using it.

    Lol ...
    edited February 2018 magman1979watto_cobraStrangeDays
  • Reply 20 of 50
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 6,676member
    ROFL!!!!
    Oh well, if you can't beat them... etc etc

    What's wrong in it? Much like Apple joined Android OEMs (particularly Samsung) in large screen phones, OLED display and high screen to body ratio display etc. Also like Android phones getting other features in iPhones like FDE, App level permissions, notification dots etc. Both platform benefit from each other and customers get a better phone at the end of the day.
    Because just throwing together a bunch of features usually doesn’t end up with a better user experience. And based on history so far I simply don’t see this changing any time soon on android side of things. I’m not saying that iOS is the flawless epitome of design here. But I do notice some step change from one platform to the other. But maybe that’s the reason why I never would consider an Android up till now while at the same time android users really might feel this as improvement. In the end, a Lada brings you from A to B as well. And if you don’t care about other things your use case might work out as opposed to, say, a BMW. However , if I’d ask some random 100 people if they’d prefer one car or the other I have a feeling what the answer might be. Regarding phones and many other things I feel that people are much to much trained to don’t care about design and functionality but for specs and price. Like they accepted the usability nightmares of VCRs or re it’s with 80+ buttons. YMMV
    I think if you asked 100 people about which system they preferred, you might see a higher proportion opting for Android.

    iOS has had a shaky run on usability for many reasons and has had a long list of utterly terrible usability problems.

    Having used both, iOS on phones would have to change a lot for me to choose it over Android. Of course, there is Android and there is Android and there lies part of the problem. Which parts of iOS stand out for usability?
    edited February 2018
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